Change of Heart
by Saroarrr
Summary: SUMMARY UPDATE: Set before the curse breaks. Henry can't handle his mothers fighting anymore and decides to take matters into his own hands. What happens next for the small dysfunctional family? Can they handle the obstacles thrown their way?
1. Chapter 1

This is my first Once Upon a Time fanfic, so please go easy on me! Reviews are greatly appreciated! Please let me know if this is something you would like for me to continue! Xo.  
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the show. Duh... I just like playing with them!  
Please do not re-post any of my fanfic on here or any other website. Thank you!

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Henry sat at the top of the stairs quietly, not having to try at all to snoop on what his mothers were arguing about this time. His heart rate was slightly elevated and his palms were cold and clammy. Little shudders shook his body as anxiety coursed angrily through his veins. He desperately wanted – needed – for his mothers to end this. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. The sound of his mothers storming toward the front door pulled him from his thoughts and he scooted into a corner of the upstairs hallway and listened.

"If you are unable to have him home to me on time, you can kiss your weekly playdates goodbye, Miss Swan. I have made it very clear that Henry follows a schedule and more than once! This is your last chance." Regina's voice was cold and dripped with disdain. She opened the door and crossed her arms, waiting for Emma to take the hint. Never one to back down Emma stepped into Regina's personal space, so close that Regina could feel Emma's breath on her face. It caused her to step half a pace backward, leaning lightly into the wall as Emma's gaze pierced her own. She cleared her throat and stood up straighter. "If you'll excuse me, Miss Swan, I need to go check on Henry."

With a final breath, Emma pivoted on her heel and took her leave, slamming the door behind her. Henry watched as his mother seemed to deflate right in front of him. She sagged against the wall and ran shaky hands through her hair, closed her eyes, and took slow, deep breaths. Henry took this as his chance to quietly sneak down the hallway and back into his room. After making sure he shut the door silently, he jumped into his bed, grabbed the comic book sitting on his bedside table, and pretended to read. A moment later, there was a light knock.

"Come in," Henry called quietly.

"Hello, Henry. Are you ready for bed?" Regina asked, looking as composed and strong as ever. She wore her usual mayoral smile, unaware that Henry could easily see right through the façade.

"Yes, just reading a little to make my eyes tired. I'm not sleepy yet." Henry tried to keep his voice as even and calm as he could. Thankfully, it looked like Regina hadn't picked up on his anxiety, but a frown quickly formed on her face as she sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Well, if Miss Swan would stop feeding you all of that junk food, I'm sure you wouldn't have any problems sleeping. The amount of sugar she allows you is not good for a little boy like you." She shook her head. "Especially before bed," she added angrily.

Henry's heart rate picked up again and knew he had to think quickly to take the heat off of Emma. "I won't eat sugar anymore, Mom. I'm sorry. I don't mean to make you and Emma fight…"

Regina's face softened and the frown turned into a small smile. "Thank you, Henry. But trust me, you are not the one making Emma and I fight. She is a completely capable young woman and should know how to use her brain. I suppose I was giving her too much credit." She let out a small chuckle and ran a gentle hand through Henry's brown locks. "At any rate, you do have school in the morning and you need to be sleeping. Five more minutes and then lights out, okay?" Regina's voice was back to her business-like tone. Henry knew not to argue and nodded his head in agreement. She smiled and placed a kiss on his forehead before standing and leaving him to his comic book.

Henry sighed loudly after the door was shut and closed the book before placing it back on the bedside table. He knew he had to come up with a plan to end their feud. But what was a kid his age supposed to do?

When he brought Emma back to Storybrook with him, he didn't see things playing out this way. He thought that Emma would eventually believe him- that magic was real and she was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, that his other mom was the Evil Queen. But no, Emma was stubborn. She didn't believe in anything she couldn't see. He tried tirelessly to find her true love to break the curse to bring the happy endings and magic back, but he failed doing so. Now all he had was two mothers who couldn't agree on anything and fought all the time and it was fraying his nerves.

Henry wracked his brain. If his moms couldn't fix things between them, then it was up to him. A new operation was in order. Henry got up quietly from his bed and tip-toed to his desk, opened his notebook to a clear page and jotted down his newest project: OPERATION CHANGE OF HEART. He smiled at the title, closed the notebook, and slid it between the mattress and box-spring before getting back into bed and turning out his light. This plan of his was going to work, he just knew it. A smile stayed on his lips as he pieced together the parts of OCoH, ready and excited to get started the next day.

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A/N: Well, there's the first chapter! This is just a small one to give you guys a taste to see if you are interested. Again, let me know if this is something I should continue! I have a clear plan for this story, so if you guys demand, I'll supply! Xo.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! I've had several follows, so I'm assuming I should continue? Please review and let me know what you guys think. They will encourage me to write more! Hope you enjoy this next chapter! Xo.

See first chapter for disclaimer…

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It had been three days since Henry came up with OCoH. Since then, he was a busy boy; he gathered snacks, bottles of water, some extra clothes, a lantern, a couple of flashlights, and several of his favorite comic books to keep himself busy and brought them to the only place he could think of where he wouldn't be found. Today was the day his plan went into full motion.

The last bell of the school day rang out and Henry quickly made his way through the hallways. If he was going to go through with his plan, he needed to get out of there before either of his moms showed up to pick him up from school. He peeked his head out of the front door to the building, and seeing neither of them, he took off towards the woods. The cold fall air nipped at his skin turning his cheeks into a light pink as he ran. Multi-colored leaves crunched under his feet, small puddles exploded as he ran through them. Finally he reached the tree-line and looked around one last time before darting into the forest.

"I can do this," he told himself. "They'll find me in no time. Mom is the evil queen and nothing gets past her. And Emma finding people is what Emma does. I have nothing to worry about."

Henry ran for another ten minutes until his destination appeared in front of him. Breathing hard, white puffs of his warm breath littered his vision before him as he caught his breath. This was it. No turning back now. Henry walked up the stairs to the small cottage and made his way inside. After tossing his backpack into a corner of his hideaway, he laid down on the old couch in the spacious living room.

"Home sweet home," he said, a small smile forming onto his face.

Little did Henry know, more planning was needed before carrying out his plan, and that one missing piece of the puzzle would be his downfall.

* * *

Regina walked into the school, fed up with waiting for Henry to emerge. After looking around for her son, she sighed heavily and went in search for Mary Margaret. She only had to look for another minute before spotting her prey and stalked over to her.

"Where is my son?" Regina asked coldly, arms folded across her chest.

Mary Margaret looked up from her desk and timidly stood up, abandoning the papers in front of her. "Mayor Mills, h-hi," she gulped. "Henry was the first student out of the classroom. He seemed to be in a hurry. He wasn't waiting for you?"

Regina rolled her eyes, annoyed. "If he was do you think I would be in here questioning you?" With that, Regina stalked out of Mary Margaret's classroom and pulled out her cell phone. There could only be one solution to why Henry wasn't waiting for her like he was supposed to. She hit the call button and waited through three rings before the phone was answered.

"How nice of you to grace me with this phone call, Regina," Emma answered haughtily. "What can I do for you?"

"You can bring my son back home, Miss Swan. Today wasn't a scheduled playdate for you two," Regina replied, annoyance evident in her tone. She exited the school and made her way over to her car. There was a pause on the other end of the line and her frustration was building.

"What do you mean? I don't have Henry. He's supposed to be with you." Emma replied, confused.

Worry soon replaced her feelings towards Emma, her thoughts running wild. "This doesn't make any sense." Regina got into her car and pulled away from the curb. "He hasn't taken off like this since you first came around."

Emma could hear the fear in Regina's voice and she started feeling uneasy herself. "Have you checked your house? Maybe he is already there?"

"No, I came to pick him up straight from my office." Regina started driving faster towards home.

"I'm almost to your house now. I was in the neighborhood. I'll see you soon." Emma said and hung up.

A mother knows when something isn't right and Regina knew that her son wouldn't be there waiting for her when she got home. Minutes later, she pulled up in front of her house and ran up to the front door, which remained open. "Henry?" she called, voice higher than normal, laced with worry.

Emma appeared in front of her and shook her head, a confused look upon her face. "He's not here, Regina. Where could he be? I thought things were better with you two. Why would he take off?" Emma questioned.

Regina shook her head as she entered the mansion and ran a shaking hand through her hair. "We've been fine… He smiles more; he's been helpful around the house… We even watch movies together again like we used to when he was younger. I don't know where he could be." Her stomach dropped. "Emma, the weather report…"

Emma's face fell. "Regina, we'll find him before the storm hits." She watched as Regina's lower lip started to tremble and started pacing. Emma reached for her arm and grounded her. "Hey." Regina looked up with watery eyes and heavy breathing. A tear slid down her left cheek and Emma watched it until it fell from her face. Emma had rarely seen this side of her. "We'll find him. We have a couple hours before it starts. He couldn't have gotten far, okay?" Regina wiped her cheek and nodded.

"Okay." Regina looked down, ashamed that she allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of her enemy. She just couldn't help it when it came to Henry. He was her ultimate weakness and she would go to all lengths to keep him safe. "So," she looked back up at Emma, her voice stronger and face more composed than the minute before, "where do we start?"

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An hour had passed since Henry arrived at the cottage and he was starting to get chilly. He looked outside and saw the grey, angry looking clouds and the naked branches of the surrounding trees swaying in the powerful wind gusts. 'Is it going to snow? Maybe later I can build a snowman! Every first snowstorm needs a snowman!' Henry got excited and walked over to one of the bags of supplies he brought and took out a hoodie. "There, that's better," he said aloud to no one.

He looked around the room and noticed it was starting to get a little dark and reached into another bag to retrieve his lantern. After turning it on he smiled. "I've got this. No big deal." Proud of himself, he walked back over to the couch and set the lantern down on the table in front of him and thought about his mothers. The idea of them having to work together to find him formed butterflies in his stomach. This was definitely going to bring them closer. They might not be friends, but at least no more fighting once they see what's really important.

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The snow had started falling two hours ago, earlier than Emma had predicted and both she and Regina were becoming frantic. This wasn't just any snowstorm. The meteorologists had predicted this to be the first blizzard Storybrook had ever seen, and it was looking as though they were right. Six inches of snow blanketed most of the streets, having only two plow trucks for the small town, and it was making their search increasingly difficult. They had searched the new playground, library, and Granny's diner before the first snowflakes fell. They were currently on their way to the docks, but the snow was making for very slow driving.

"Emma, it's getting bad out here." Regina had abandoned all of her reservations of letting Emma see her like this. Tears carelessly flowed in rivulets down her cheeks, her eyes were red and swollen, and her hands trembled around her cell phone. She looked at the time; it was close to 6pm.

Emma's hands gripped the steering wheel so tight that her knuckles were white. Her heart pounded as her cruiser fishtailed before she regained control of it. The road before her was getting more difficult to see as the gusts of wind battered snow against the windshield and around them. She didn't want to stop searching for Henry, but she didn't know how much longer they could continue on before it became impossible for them to. Knots twisted in her stomach. She had always been able to find whoever she was looking for; she never failed. This was her most important search and she was coming up empty.

"Regina, get on the phone and call anyone you can think of that Henry might be with. The roads are becoming too dangerous and soon we'll have to turn back and go to either the station or your mansion." Emma's stomach twisted as she spoke those words and she glanced over at Regina and saw her face pale as realization hit.

"He doesn't have any friends, Emma… He keeps to himself. You know that… There's no one to call." Regina looked down and absentmindedly played with her sleeve.

"Try calling the hospital again." Emma ordered, hoping he was there but okay. She saw Regina go to work out of the corner of her eye as they pulled up to the docks. Emma got out of the car and pulled her jacket tighter around her body.

"HENRY! HENRY!" She yelled through the deserted area, trying to project louder than the howling wind.

"Henry's not there!" Regina shouted to Emma as she climbed out of the cruiser. "HENRY!" she started calling out.

They walked in opposite directions and continued to call his name for three minutes and turned back. After seeing Emma come back without Henry, Regina fell to her knees in the heavy snow. Her shoulders shook violently as she cried, feeling defeated. Emma walked over and lifted her trembling body to stand in front of her. "Regina, we've got to keep going. I don't know how much longer we can drive in this. There's no time for tears." As harsh as the words sounded, they both knew she was right. Regina nodded and brushed the snow off of her legs and climbed back into the cruiser, followed by Emma moments later.

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I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Review and let me know! Xo.


	3. Chapter 3

Across town and through the woods, Henry stared through the window of the small cottage. His eyes were wide with shock and amazement. He couldn't believe all of the snow that was falling; he'd never seen anything like this before. An uneasy feeling formed in his stomach and he was beginning to think this wasn't such a good idea. It was getting late, colder and colder with no way to heat the cottage, and his mothers were nowhere in sight. He wondered if maybe he should run back into town. Surely the trip back wouldn't take too long. It only took fifteen minutes for him to get here. But looking outside, he started to doubt that idea was a positive one.

Sighing, Henry looked at his current situation. He didn't have wood for a fire, no electricity, had one baggie of his mother's homemade trail mix, and half of a bottle of water left. Just as he finished his assessment, the lantern started to flicker, and he guessed that the batteries would run out soon, leaving him in complete darkness. Henry came to the conclusion that he'd try to make it back into town before the storm got worse. 'Who knows?' he thought to himself. 'It could even end while I'm walking back. I just don't want to be stuck here alone in the dark.'

Henry walked over to his bags and rummaged through until he found his extra pair of socks. He hadn't planned for snow, so he didn't pack any gloves. Socks would have to do. After putting on his winter coat, he tightened his shoe laces and put the socks on his hands. He took one last glance around the place. He had decided to leave everything there and would have one of his mothers come back with him to retrieve it all the next day after begging for forgiveness.

"It's now or never." Henry grabbed the lantern and started his journey back into town.

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An hour and a half had passed since leaving the docks and twenty minutes since Emma and Regina had returned back to the mansion. The power had been knocked out at some point in their search for Henry, so they stayed in the large living room in front of the fireplace.

Neither of them dared to say anything. Emma paced slowly, her shadow dancing in the fire's light. Regina sat on the edge of the couch, leaning forward with her tear stained cheeks being held in her hands while her thoughts ran wild. The tears had stopped, but the gut-wrenching feeling she had remained.

Truthfully, Regina was angry with Emma for making them return here. Sure, she understood they would be putting themselves in danger if they'd continued their search in those conditions any longer, and that if anything happened, they'd be useless in helping Henry. But right now, she didn't care. All she could think about was getting out there and finding him and bringing him home with her.

She looked up at Emma and watched her with anger in her eyes. It was as if Emma could feel Regina staring at her because she stopped and looked back. She was surprised to see the glare being tossed her way.

"What?" Emma asked confused.

"We need to go back out there. Henry's out there." Regina got to her feet. "We can go by foot. I don't care. But we can't just sit here while my son-"

"He's my son, too, Regina!" Emma snapped angrily, moving into her personal space. "I think you forget that. Do you think I want to be here doing NOTHING?! Of course not!" Emma spat back.

Regina stared Emma down viciously, not even so much as a blink. "Henry never would have done this if he didn't know of you," Regina stated, her voice stone cold. She turned on her heel and started to walk away, but Emma grabbed her arm and spun her back around to face her.

"No. You don't get to place blame on me, Regina. Henry was unhappy before I even got here. His running off is not my fault, and you know it." Emma let go of her arm and watched as Regina straightened her posture yet again, her shield rock solid.

"Very well, Miss Swan." Just as she turned and was about to grab for her throw blanket, Emma's ringtone shrilled though the room. Both women looked at each other in shock and then Emma scrambled to answer it.

"Henry? Is that you?!" Emma exclaimed into the phone.

"Sheriff Swan, my name is Dr. Nicole Abernathy. I've just been informed that a plowman is bringing a young boy in, and I believe it's Henry."

"R-really?! That's great! Is he okay? Where was he?!" She smiled at Regina and nodded at her. Regina moved closer to Emma and placed her ear close to the phone to listen.

"Well, unfortunately I have some bad news. The boy is unconscious right now. You see, when the plowman found the boy, he was on the side of the road just outside of the forest and he wasn't breathing." The doctor paused when she heard gasps on the other end of the line. "The plowman performed CPR and got the boy breathing again, and instead of calling for emergency services, he thought it best to bring him here himself."

"We-we're on our way." Emma hung up her phone and looked at Regina. Both of them had tears in their eyes. "Let's go see our boy, Regina." Emma spoke up. She killed the fire and turned her cellphone's light on. When she realized Regina had failed to respond, she grabbed her by the hand and guided them through the mansion to grab their coats and leave.

The drive to the hospital took about ten minutes. Regina didn't live too far from in town, but they could only drive about five miles per hour the entire way. The whole trip there Emma's stomach turned and bile had risen in her throat numerous times, but she knew she had to be the strong one for their…what? What were they, Emma wondered? A family? She supposed they were. They were more of what she believed a family was than what she had experienced in her upbringing.

When they arrived, Regina was still in shock and Emma had to help her out of the car and through the hospital. Emma left her by the ER entrance and quickly walked up to the front desk.

"Has my son been brought in yet?" She demanded from the clerk, urgency in her voice.

"He was brought into trauma room one," the clerk replied timidly. Usually Emma wasn't a very intimidating person unless she was after a perp, but she meant business tonight and everyone could see it.

Emma nodded and briskly moved to Regina's side and softened her tone to try and regain her focus and bring her back. "Come on, Regina." Eyes slowly met hers, which meant it was working. Emma took her hand gently.

"He's here?" Regina's hopeful plea was just above a whisper. Emma nodded and Regina allowed herself to be guided through the hallways.

Trauma room one came into view and they heard the faint beeping sounds of the heart monitor before seeing into the room. Relief flooded through their veins when they laid their eyes upon Henry and they moved over to him, peppering his pale face with kisses and running hands through his damp hair. Tears poured from their eyes.

"Ahem." A voice came from behind them. "Sheriff Swan, Mayor Mills. I'm Dr. Abernathy, I spoke with you on the phone," she moved closer to the family.

"Yes, thank you!" Regina exclaimed as she wiped the tears from her face and turned to the doctor. "Is he okay?"

Dr. Abernathy looked at Henry and then back to his mothers. "When Henry came in, his body temperature was at eighty-six degrees, and although we've been raising it slowly, it's not high enough yet. He had stopped breathing outside due to hypothermia. While he is stable right now, we don't know what kind of damage has been done." She paused and let the mothers digest the information just given to them.

Emma moved over to Regina and stood shoulder to shoulder with her in front of the doctor. "Is he going to wake up?" she asked tearfully.

"I'm sorry." Dr. Abernathy replied. "Right now, Henry is in a comatose state and we have no way of knowing how long it'll be before he wakes up…if he wakes up," she finished.

Emma drew a hand to her mouth. "Oh my gosh." She looked at her son over her shoulder and then to Regina, and just in time. Regina's eyes rolled into the back of her head and Emma caught her as she fell to the floor.

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Will Henry be okay? What will this mean for the Savior and Evil Queen? Reviews are welcome. Hope you enjoyed.


	4. Chapter 4

Regina woke up to the sound of Henry's heart monitor beeping steadily. She looked around and realized that she and Henry were no longer down in the trauma room where she had passed out, and also that Emma was not in the room with them. After rubbing her face to wipe away the sleep, she walked over to Henry's bed. He looked like he was just sleeping, that nothing bad had happened to him. His face had returned to its normal shade, the light blue tint gone from his lips, his hair dry and unruly. Had they been at home, you could never have guessed he was in a coma. She drew a chair over to the side of his bed, sat down, and took his hand in hers.

"Henry… It's Mom." Her voice was shaky, so she took a steadying breath and began again. "I know things haven't been perfect in the last year or so…and I know that you've been going through a lot of new changes that are confusing…" She stroked his knuckles softly and looked down at their hands. His was so small compared to hers and it made a lump rise in her throat. She swallowed it down and continued. "I need you to fight this, Henry. I need you to come back to me. I know it's unfair for me to say this, but you are all that I have in this world." She choked back a sob. "I know I am strict and that I am not always the warmest person…but I love you, Henry. More than anyone or anything in this world. Please…" she sniffled and wiped a tear that had escaped, "please wake up." She leaned down and kissed his hand and rested her head there, watching her thumb move over the smooth skin of his knuckles, back and forth, back and forth. Five minutes later, the sound of the door opening caught her attention, but she remained in the same position.

"Regina? Are you awake?" Emma's voice came from behind her.

"Yes, Miss Swan," she sniffed and raised her head. Emma could see the tearstains on her cheeks.

"How are you feeling?" Emma asked moving into the room and propped herself on the other side of Henry's bed.

"I'm fine," Regina replied wiping the evidence of her tears away. "How long was I sleeping for?"

"You passed out…" Emma looked at her phone to see the time, "ten hours ago."

Regina raised her eyebrows slightly; she was surprised she had been out for that long. "Have there been any changes with Henry?"

Emma shook her head. "The neurologist has scheduled a test to measure his level of brain activity. They should be here to get him anytime now." Emma looked down to Henry's face and stroked his cheek lightly. After a moment, she looked back up at Regina and held her gaze. "He's going to pull through this, Regina." Seeing Regina's gaze falter a moment, she made her voice more demanding. "He will. You have raised him to be a strong boy. He's a fighter. He will make it through this, I promise."

Regina looked away from Emma and to her little boy. "You can't promise things like that, Emma." Her voice was small and watery. Emma was about to respond when a light knock on the door grabbed their attention.

"Good morning, Mayor Mills, Sheriff Swan. My name is Dr. Brown. I am the neurologist performing the test." He offered a small smile to the women before him, and a couple of nurses filed in behind him. "We are ready to transfer Henry now."

Emma offered Regina a reassuring smile and nodded her head. She watched as Regina placed a firm kiss to Henry's hand once more, stood up, and moved away to make room for the nurses. Emma moved to stand beside Regina and placed a hand on the small of her back, happy to realize she didn't move away from her touch and accepted the comfort. Together they watched the nurses get Henry ready for transport and wheel him out of the room.

"We won't be too long. If you'd like to, you can help yourself to some coffee in the cafeteria. They won't be making breakfast for another couple of hours, but there's a vending machine down the hall if you're hungry." With that, Dr. Brown gave one more sympathetic smile and left them alone.

* * *

Coffee cup in one hand and resting her forehead in the other, Emma sat across from Regina in the cafeteria. They were the only ones occupying the room and both realized they were too emotionally exhausted to keep their walls up around each other. Regina traced invisible patterns on the cream colored table top in front of here, pondering on what they should do.

"Has the blizzard stopped?" Regina broke the silence. Emma jumped, not expecting the sudden conversation, and spilled a small amount of her coffee. She sighed and wiped it up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you…" Regina offered.

"No, no…it's fine. I just haven't slept and my nerves are frayed… But to answer your question, yes. About an hour before you woke up." Emma straightened in her chair and looked at Regina. "I've reached out to several people to make sure the townspeople are okay and asked some of the miners to start clean-up of the roads and businesses."

"Thank you, Emma, but you didn't have to do that-"

"Well, someone had to." Emma cut her off and after seeing the look of surprise on Regina's face, instantly felt badly for how it sounded. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that…the town was going to be looking to you for support and guidance and I just figured that since I didn't know when you'd wake up I would get started… I mean, I am the sheriff so it's not like people would be too suspicious about why I'm giving orders and not you. I also figured that you'd want your privacy and, no offense, you're a mess right now…" Emma rambled and looked at her sheepishly.

Regina cleared her throat and clasped her hands in front of her, eying Emma firmly. "Thank you." Emma shifted uneasily in her chair as Regina stood. "I'm going to go back upstairs. You can go home, I can take it from here." She started walking away, her stance nothing like the strong-willed woman she was just two days ago.

Confused, Emma stood up, not bothering to push her chair in and took off after Regina who had already made it to the elevators. "What do you mean?" Emma asked.

Regina pushed the up button and faced Emma. "Henry is still in a coma. There's nothing for you to do here. You need rest and if you think I look a mess, take a look in the mirror, Miss Swan." She turned back to the elevator when the door opened and walked inside. Emma put her arm in the way of the door as it started to slide shut, anger in her eyes.

"Regina-"

"Don't." Regina stopped Emma's words and stepped forward to stand right in front of her. She softened her features slightly and sighed. "I'll call you when the results are in, okay? Go get some sleep." She moved Emma's arm out of the way and stepped back to lean against the wall behind her, leaving Emma alone in the cafeteria.

* * *

Emma didn't think that she was going to be able to sleep. Not after all that had happened since yesterday. She was certainly surprised when she woke with a start when her cell phone started ringing and realized it was dark outside. She turned on her bedroom light and grabbed her phone.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Miss Swan, I trust you've gotten some sleep?" Regina replied.

"Yes, I have. Have the test results come in? Has Henry woken up?" She got out of bed and started pulling on a pair of jeans.

"No, he's not awake. The results have come back." Regina replied.

"…AND?" Emma pried.

"And they look good. Dr. Brown thinks Henry will wake up anytime." Emma could hear the relief and smile in Regina's voice and couldn't help the grin that took residence on her own face.

"That's great!" Emma exclaimed.

"It is… Miss Swan, may I ask you a favor?" Regina asked awkwardly.

"Uh-huh." Emma put the phone on speaker mode so she could continue getting dressed more freely.

Regina rolled her eyes at Emma's lack of etiquette and sighed. "Would you mind stopping by my place to retrieve my overnight bag? When Henry wakes up, I don't want to-"

"I get it, Regina." Emma cut her off and smiled. "Not a problem. Where is it?"

"It's in the downstairs closet by the stairs."

"Okay, got it. I'll see you soon."

"Okay. Oh, and Emma?" Regina started.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you…" Not one to normally appreciate another human being's help, Regina felt awkward.

"Don't mention it." Emma smiled and hung up.

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I hope you're enjoying this so far. Still have a long way to go for this story! And, as long as you guys want it, I think this may even be part one of a two part series. So send in your reviews and keep me posted! Xo.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for all of the follows, favorites, and reviews. Hope you enjoy this next one!

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Regina sat in the chair next to Henry's bed going over some paperwork she had faxed over by her secretary. She had finally found been able to focus on more than just worrying about Henry since the results of his tests came in and she was very behind in signing off on proposals. Halfway through her stack she heard Emma sneeze in the corner of the room opposite her. "Bless you." She offered absentmindedly, more of a reflex.

"Thanks…" Emma replied and closed the book she was reading. "Hey, Regina?"

"Yes, Miss Swan?" she didn't bother looking up from the file in her lap.

Emma scoffed and shook her head. "Back to 'Miss Swan' again, are we?" she muttered under her breath.

"Well, that is your name, is it not?" Regina finally looked up, a stern expression on her face.

"Yeah, formally, but I thought we were past that. What did I do now?" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared back at Regina.

"Don't sit there and pout like a petulant child. It's not very becoming." Regina scolded. Emma rolled her eyes which caused Regina to shake her head and look back to her file. "So what is it that you wanted?"

"Forget it." Emma said annoyed as she looked down and started to play with a loose thread on her sleeve.

Regina snickered, closed the file and looked up. Emma met her gaze after a moment, giving her a questioning look. "You really need to grow up, Miss Swan. You're a big girl. If you have something to say, say it."

"Then will you stop acting like a stone cold bitch?" Emma hadn't meant to say it out loud and instantly regretted it. But it was too late; she could see red in Regina's eyes and she knew she made a terrible mistake. "Regina, I-"

"Stop right there, Miss Swan." Regina stood up and walked over to where Emma sat. She leaned forward and placed a hand on each of the arm rests and brought her face right in front of Emma's. Emma audibly gulped and leaned her head back an inch. "Do you want to continue seeing Henry?" she seethed. Emma nodded in response, her facial expression turning serious. "Then let me make something clear, Miss Swan," she emphasized her name, "you and I are not friends. You can throw names around all you'd like, they will not hurt my feelings any. But if you choose to stay in Henry's life, I will not be disrespected. I am the mayor of this town. I am his mother. I raised him for years after you abandoned-"

"Stop fighting, please," soft words were pleaded from behind them.

Their heads shot up and they looked at Henry who was trying to sit up in his bed. "Henry?" they both whispered and got up to be by his side. Regina sat down and wrapped him in her arms, which relieved him of having to try sitting in bed.

"Henry, I've been so worried." Tears of happiness filled her eyes.

"Hey, kid." Emma rested a hand on his shoulder as her heart filled with overwhelming love and happiness.

After a moment, Henry leaned out of Regina's arms and looked between both of them. "Did you guys find me?"

"No, a plowman did." Emma responded and pulled her chair over to sit down next to him.

"Henry, we need to talk about what happened," Regina's tone was sterner than the moment before. Henry looked up at her and nodded.

"There's this cottage in the woods and no one lives there. I was hiding out in there after school. I didn't mess anything, up, I promise." Henry explained.

"But why, Henry? Why didn't you tell us where you were going?" Emma spoke up.

Henry looked down and played with his fingers. "I didn't mean to upset you guys."

"Henry," Regina started. "Explain yourself, please. I can't promise I won't be mad, but I'll be less mad if you don't hide things from me."

"Well," he sighed. "a few nights ago when Emma dropped me off late you guys were fighting… I was sitting at the top of the stairs for most of it… After Mom tucked me in I came up with Operation Change of Heart… I figured that if I went missing it would make you guys work together to try and find me and you'd see that there's no reason to hate each other and maybe become friends…" Henry looked up and saw his mothers look at each other. He looked back down and continued. "I brought supplies to the cottage and figured if anyone could find me it would be you guys. But I didn't think it was going to snow and when I saw that it was getting bad, I thought I should head back. Maybe I should have stayed in the cottage… I don't know… But I was just trying to make you guys stop fighting..."

Regina heard Emma sigh and looked over at her. She watched as Emma rubbed her temples and squint her eyes, trying to process all he had just revealed to them. "Emma."

Her first name being used was not lost on her and she looked up. "Yeah?"

"What do you think of this?"

"Well, for starters… Henry, I apologize for you witnessing our fights. If we have arguments we shouldn't be doing it in front of you, and we need to be more careful knowing you could be snooping." She shot him an apologetic smirk. "But running off like that is dangerous. Where I'm from, some kids never get found again." She looked to Regina to let her take over. Regina nodded.

"Yes, if something is bothering you just come to us, Henry. I hope you know that you can always tell me anything."

"I'm sorry, Mom, Emma. I won't do anything like that ever again." Henry lay back down and crossed his arms over chest. "My plan didn't work anyway," he muttered.

Regina softened her features and rubbed her thumb across his cheek. She looked to Emma and searched her eyes.

"We can to better, Henry. Or at least try. Right, Regina?" Emma smiled softly.

Willing to do anything to make her son happy, Regina nodded and mustered up the best smile to return to Emma. Henry's body filled with excitement and he threw himself into Regina's arms. "Thank you, guys." He said softly. After a moment he sat back and looked between them both again. "When can we go home?"

"Soon, Henry." Regina smiled at him and ran her hand through his hair.

"So does this mean Emma can come over for dinner and movies and now?" Henry beamed.

Regina and Emma laughed together lightly. "Baby steps, kid." Emma said and looked at Regina.

"I'm going to let the doctor know you're awake." Regina excused herself, avoiding the conversation until she could gather her thoughts and left Henry and Emma in the room alone.

She would discuss this with them at a later time, as she had just told Henry she'd try, but if Regina was being honest with herself…she couldn't recall how to be an actual friend to another human being. It had been years since she had opened up to anyone aside from her son, and even then she hid so much from him. And having to be friends with Emma meant that no matter how close they got, she would have to make sure she hid the truth from her, too.

She walked up to the desk and told the nurse there that Henry was awake and asked for her to notify the doctor.

Not ready to walk back into Henry's room, she kept walking. Her mind was scattered. Keeping people at an arm's length had helped keep the secret of magic hidden. If she didn't have anyone to hide anything from, then there was no reason to feel guilty and no need to unveil the truth behind the world they lived in. Regina started to feel very overwhelmed. If Emma ever found out… Without magic Regina was powerless. Emma could take Henry away... Running away was what Emma did best and Regina knew if she didn't want them to be found, no one would be able to find them. No, Emma must never know the truth.

Then again, there's that whole "Savior" bit. Emma was her undoing. The moment Emma was born they were destined enemies. How was this going to work?

Regina stepped outside and let the cold air numb her nerves. She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. She didn't know what do to.

* * *

Things are starting to get messy for the Evil Queen! Hope you liked this! Review and let me know! Xo.


	6. Chapter 6

On the following morning after he was released from the hospital, Henry sat at the desk in his bedroom looking at his notebook with his OCoH written down in it. Even though it went completely different than he had expected, he was hopeful that things were starting to go in the direction he wanted. His mom and Emma said they would both try. That was something, right?

A confused feeling turned in his stomach. Henry trusted that Emma was going to do just what she said, but as much as he wanted to believe that his mom was telling the truth, she was the Evil Queen. Yes, things between him and his mother were getting better lately, but if he had to be honest with himself, it was more because of his own actions than hers. He had eased up on her, craving and needing peace in his life rather than constant fighting. Not only that, but the more they got along, the more she let him see Emma.

Henry loved his mom. Regardless of her being the Evil Queen, he knew that she had always lived for him since she adopted him. To a certain extent, Henry could understand why she wouldn't want the curse to be broken... Well one of the reasons. They had a good life. And surprisingly, the townspeople did, too. No, they didn't know who they really were, but they were no longer living in fear and they were not being hurt. But living in a world that stayed still for everyone other than yourself was not something that Henry believed was right. They all deserved to live a full life; they all deserved to get their happy endings.

After scribbling his thoughts on a piece of paper, Henry sighed and looked around his room. He knew that Operation Cobra was still not over. Somehow, Emma still needed to break the curse.

"Henry, breakfast is ready!" Regina called from downstairs.

"Coming, Mom!" Henry called back. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the delicious smells that worked their way into his room. Suddenly all he could think about was food, his worries nearly forgotten.

As he emerged from his room and walked down the stairs, he could hear his mother talking. Curious, he started to tip-toe to listen in on the conversation. He peeked around the corner and looked into the kitchen to see Regina speaking into her cell phone and facing away from him.

"Yes, that's right." Regina said. "Yes, I'm sure… Listen, I'm trying, okay? Now pick a time before I change my mind. Yes, I am even giving you that option, Miss Swan."

Henry almost gasped out loud as he heard who his mother was talking to.

"Okay, seven it is. See you tonight." Regina started to turn back around as she hung up and didn't notice Henry who had jumped back away from view. After a moment, she saw Henry walk into the kitchen with a smile on his face. "Good morning. Hungry?" she returned his smile.

"Starving! That hospital food from last night wasn't that good…" Henry replied and got up onto a stool.

Regina chuckled and brought over a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, sausage links, and fresh fruit and sat it in front of him. She watched as he dug in, a grateful smile on her face. "Henry?" He looked up, chewing a bite of his toast. "How would you like for Miss- Emma to come over for dinner tonight?"

Henry had a feeling that was what they were talking about, but nonetheless was very excited and couldn't keep it in. "Really?! Yes! I'd love that."

"Good, I'm glad." Regina smiled and moved to grab him a glass of orange juice. "You will be staying home from school today to keep resting. I don't want you doing too much, okay? I do have to go into town for a couple of meetings, but I will be back by three the latest." She walked over to the dining room, grabbed her purse and walked back in to find Henry looking up at her with a frown.

"Do you really have to go in today?" Henry pouted.

Regina sighed. "I do, Henry. As much as I want to stay here and play hooky with you, there was some damage left behind after the blizzard and I have to make sure the right people are going to take care of it and we need to see how we're going to pay for this. Storybrooke has never had a blizzard and…" She looked at him scrunching up his nose. "You don't need all of the details, but I will do my best to be home soon, okay?" She walked over to him and kissed the top of his head.

"Okay," he said disappointingly and looked back to his food. Regina started to walk away. "Wait, Mom!" He jumped off of the stool and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I love you," he said above a whisper.

Tears pricked Regina's eyes and she wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, too, my prince." She kissed the top of his head once more and cleared her throat. Henry moved back to the stool and continued eating. She watched a moment longer before taking her leave.

* * *

Just as Regina was pulling the lasagna out of the oven, she heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it, I'll get it!" Henry yelled from upstairs.

"Walk, Henry!" Regina warned, her tone serious. She heard the pitter-patter of his footsteps slow down and a smile was brought to her face. How he had this much energy after what he'd just been through was beyond her. She heard the front door open.

"Emma!" Henry exclaimed.

Regina looked to the clock. Six fifty-five. She was impressed; Emma was early. After closing the oven door, she removed her apron just as Emma and Henry walked into the room.

"Emma's here!" Henry beamed.

"Yes, I see that," she smirked at Henry. She looked to their guest. "Hello, Emma."

"Hey. I don't really know what you drink, so I just brought this," Emma said walking up to the counter, standing opposite to Regina. She handed the bottle of Merlot to her and took a seat on a stool. "Smells great." She offered a small smile.

"Thank you for the wine. And thank you, everything is ready. Henry, go wash up and meet us at the table." Regina said gathering the lasagna in her hands.

"Okay, Mom." Henry took off and both women watched him leave.

"This way, Miss- Emma." Regina corrected herself and led the way into the dining room.

The table was set elegantly, which Emma had predicted. Regina didn't seem the type to do anything casually, even a casual dinner. She smiled to herself as she took the seat Regina offered to her and the lasagna was deposited onto the table.

"I'll be right back. Would you like a glass of the Merlot or something else?" Regina offered as she straightened her posture. She really was trying to make the night proceed as easily as possible and she hoped Emma would, as well.

"I'm going out on a limb here, but do you have any beer?" Emma asked hopefully, a playful wince on her face.

Regina sighed in relief. Emma was thankfully on board. "Apparently I know you better than I thought. I picked up a six pack on my way home from my meetings earlier this afternoon." She offered Emma a small smile as she walked back into the kitchen. After entering, Regina wrung her hands out. She was surprised to find that she was nervous.

"I'm back," she heard Henry say from the dining room. She took a steadying breath, grabbed all of their drinks, and took her seat at the head of the table.

"Thank you," Emma said and accepted the beer offered to her.

"Thanks, Mom!" Henry said, excitement seeping through his pores. Both women chuckled as Henry was having a hard time containing himself. He was jittery and couldn't sit still. Truthfully, they were relieved that Henry talked through most of the meal because other than the banters they'd shared in the past, neither knew what to talk about with the other.

"May I be excused to go pick out the movie?" Henry asked while chewing his last bite.

"Henry, manners." Regina warned. "And who said anything about a movie?"

"We always watch movies after dinner when I'm sick." Henry plastered on one of his signature pouts and feigned illness.

Emma heard Regina sigh and wiped the corners of her mouth. "No, it's okay. I really should-"

"Henry's right." Regina cut her off. She sensed Emma's uneasiness and watched her shift in her seat as they exchanged looks. "Why don't we clean up while Henry picks a movie?" After seeing Emma nod in agreement, she turned to Henry who had seemed to start feeling better all of a sudden. "Bring your plate to the sink, get changed for bed, and pick out a movie. We'll meet you in the living room shortly." Henry jumped from the table and obeyed his mother.

Emma turned to Regina. "Are you sure? I don't want to overstay my welcome…" Emma started to gather dishes together and followed Regina to the kitchen.

"I told Henry that I would try, Emma," Regina said placing dishes in the sink and started rinsing them. Emma nodded and moved to the dishwasher. They fell into an easy clean-up rhythm, Regina handing Emma the dishes to be placed in the dishwasher, without discussion.

"Thank you, Regina." Emma stated while closing the appliance after all dishes were accounted for and turned to her.

"What for?" Regina asked drying her hands on a towel and handed it to Emma after to do the same.

"For trying. I…I know how it is to have a hard time letting people in. I've never been very good at trusting people and I can honestly say that I can count on one hand how many people I've been able to call a friend. Even then…they all betrayed me." Emma looked down and played with the towel for a moment before looking back up and meeting Regina's eyes. "So yeah…thank you."

Regina digested Emma's words a moment before nodding. "You do know this probably isn't going to be easy, don't you?"

Emma chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I know. You're a hard person to deal with." Emma joked. At Regina's glare, Emma laughed even more. "Lighten up, Your Majesty." Emma tossed the towel playfully at Regina and walked passed her after hearing Henry call out to her.

Regina clasped the towel in her hands. It had been years anyone had used that term in her presence and it made her feel uneasy. 'She was just teasing, Regina. She obviously has no idea,' she reminded herself.

This was going to be hard.

* * *

Hope you've enjoyed so far! :) Xo.


	7. Chapter 7

On Friday afternoon, Regina picked Henry up from school and they headed straight to the market. She wasn't surprised that there were few customers shopping right now as most had done a couple weeks' worth of shopping in preparation for the blizzard. It didn't make sense to her why some would go overboard like that, but she couldn't complain as the aisles were free for her to roam at her own speed. She stopped to look at the dates on some granola and as she was turning it over, that's when she heard a voice at the end of the isle.

"Hey, kid."

"Emma!" Henry said as he turned around and practically leaped into her arms. She chuckled and hugged him close.

"Hello, Regina." Emma tried gaining her attention.

Regina turned her body to her but didn't look up, "Hello, Emma," she responded, still inspecting the granola.

"Is that really as interesting as you're making it seem? Maybe I should buy some…" Emma said sarcastically. Henry chuckled at her side, still hanging onto her. Regina looked up and shot a glare at Emma. "Okay, sorry. So I guess you're serious about your granola. My bad." Emma put her hands up in mock defense and smiled. At this, Regina rolled her eyes and gave a small smile.

"So what are you doing here?" Henry asked looking up at Emma.

"Well, I was shopping but it seems I've suddenly been held hostage by a young boy named Henry," she joked, gaining another chuckle from her son. "Seriously, though, I have no idea what I'm doing here. Mary Margaret asked for me to pick up some groceries and, as you know Henry, I am far from a chef so I don't even know what I should pick up…" Emma looked lamely between the two of them.

"I always see Mary Margaret with salads at lunch. You should buy lettuce and tomatoes," Henry offered.

Emma laughed at his youthful thought process. "Just lettuce and tomatoes? Come on, how about I steal you for a few and you can help me round up some things? That okay, Regina?" Emma asked hopefully.

Regina looked down to Henry who bounced where he stood, excitement bubbling in his veins. "Behave and don't run off on Emma, okay? Come find me when you two are done," she instructed.

"Yes! Thanks, Mom!" Henry beamed and grabbed Emma's cart. Emma threw a smile over her shoulder as she let him lead the way.

After Henry and Emma had taken off, Regina found that shopping without a child was actually easy. She breezed through the aisles, not having to reprimand Henry for wanting to buy copious amounts of junk and having to tell him to put it back. Time seemed to fly and before she knew it Henry and Emma were back in her presence, bags of groceries in Emma's resting in arms.

"That was quick." Regina noted.

"Henry's a pro at all things healthy, thanks to you. Looks like I won't be eating this week…" Emma joked.

Regina looked at the woman before her and sighed. "Burgers and fries are doing nothing for you. You should try eating salads once in a while," she scolded her.

"Yes, Mom." Emma joked and Henry giggled at his mother's response. He was so giddy at how well things seemed to be going. Regina shot a smirk to her son.

"Mom, tomorrow is my playdate with Emma, right?" Henry spoke, serious all of a sudden. At Regina's nod, Henry bounced up and down and turned to Emma. "Can we go sledding tomorrow? PLEEEEEEASE, Emma?"

Emma laughed and shook her head in amazement. You'd never think that just four days ago Henry had his accident. She looked up to Regina. "What do you think? Is he well enough to tackle the slopes, Regina?"

"YES!" Henry answered before Regina could get a word in.

"Henry," Regina scolded, "I know you're excited, but please calm yourself. We're in a public place." She straightened her spine and smoothed out her already wrinkle-free suitcoat. She noted Emma's eye-roll but thought it best to not chide her when clearly she was trying to make just as much of an effort in this new…arrangement. "But yes, that would be fine."

Henry held off on bouncing up and down but his smile was so big and bright that it could melt the snow.

"Okay, but I have one condition, Henry." Emma butted in. His smile faltered a moment but looked at her expectantly.

"What's that?"

"Your mother has to join us," she replied looking straight at Regina the whole time.

Taken aback, Regina's eyebrows shot up to her forehead and her mouth dropped slightly. After a moment she started shaking her head no. "No, I don't think that would be such a good idea," she replied lamely.

"Awe, come on, Mom! It'll be so much fun! Please?" Henry pouted.

Regina looked at the pair and couldn't even form words. The two were one in the same. They had both gotten down on their knees and looked up at her with puppy dog eyes, pleading. She sighed heavily and moved in front of them and grabbed both of them by an arm. "Fine, fine. Just get up, will you?" She noted their smiles as she turned back to her carriage shaking her head, and could have sworn she heard them hi-fiving. "Let's go, Henry. We need to get back home so I can start dinner."

"Okay. See you tomorrow, Emma!" He gave her a hug and smiled up at her.

"See you, then! I'll text you about times tomorrow, Regina. Have a good night." Emma smiled and walked off. Regina and Henry watched as she left, Henry feeling proud of his mothers and Regina feeling like she just made a huge mistake.

* * *

"I really don't know why I let you talk me into this…" Regina sighed. She and Emma stood at the top of the hill and watched as Henry made another trip down. Henry had gone down the hill four times already, once with Emma and as much as he begged Regina to go with him, she adamantly declined.

"You might as well not even be here since you won't go down." Emma teased with a fake glare.

Regina crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture. "This is for kids, Emma."

"Well, I went." Emma threw back at her.

"Yes, well, you are just a big kid anyway."

Emma huffed and gave in, earning a smile of victory from Regina. They both turned as Henry brought his sled before them.

"Okay, I think I'm done. Can we get hot chocolate at Granny's next?" Henry pleaded.

"I'm beginning to see why he comes home all wound up on sugar. How can you say no to that face?" Regina said and looked down. "Henry, please tie your boot before we head back."

"Okay, Mom." Henry set his sled down and did as his mother instructed.

"You're kind of a pushover. You know all of that sugar isn't good for him," Emma reprimanded Regina as she rested her hands on her hips.

Regina whipped around and glared at Emma. "You can't be serious." Regina was smart in many areas, but she was still learning Emma's sense of humor and didn't pick up on the sarcasm.

Just as Emma was going to respond, she suddenly lurched forward and bumped into Regina when a couple of kids accidentally ran into her. Regina lost her balance and grabbed onto Emma to steady herself in vain. They both fell onto the sled and down they went. Regina clung to Emma for dear life, squeezed her eyes together, and screamed. Emma laughed hysterically when they reached the bottom at Regina's look of horror.

"I take it you've never slid down a hill before?" Emma laughed, looking down at Regina.

"Clearly." Regina responded, breathing heavily and still trying to get herself back together.

"You can let go now, Regina. We're at the bottom of the hill." Emma laughed and after she was released, she stood up and reached her hand down to help her up.

"Thanks," Regina said and took the offered hand. After standing back up, she noticed Emma was still laughing. "Enough, Miss Swan."

Emma glowered at the woman before her, but knew she deserved the formal name calling. She turned to look back up the hill which Henry was almost down, and that's when she felt it: a snowball to the back of her head. With a shocked look on both hers and Henry's faces, she slowly turned around and faced Regina.

Regina was laughing. Not just the small chuckles she gave here and there when she thought it was appropriate. No. She was full belly laughing, one hand on her stomach and one on her knee as she bent forward, and it was a beautiful sight. Emma couldn't help but smile at her. This was the first time she had heard Regina laugh and she wondered why her new friend didn't do it more often. She looked so happy. Henry joined in on the laughter and walked up to his mom and hugged her around the waist.

"Ha-ha. Yep, get your laughs in because…" Emma bent down and started collecting snow. Regina sobered very fast, holding her hands up defensively.

"No, no, no! Miss Swan…" Regina warned. Emma stalked towards her, a snowball in hand, with a huge grin on her face.

"What did you call me?" Emma asked. "Because I'm pretty sure I heard you call me Miss Swan."

Regina started walking backwards and Henry watched his two mothers in awe.

"Emma," Regina corrected herself. "Emma, please. It was just a joke…" Regina pleaded.

"Joke's on you, Madame Mayor!" Emma started advancing quicker and the shriek that came from Regina sounded like that of a teenager. Her attempt at avoiding the snowball was futile because a second later, Emma launched herself at her. Instead of throwing the snowball, Emma exploded it on top of Regina's head and rubbed it in her hair, laughing heartily as she did so.

Henry watched from the sidelines as one of the happiest feelings he had ever felt came over him. Both of his mothers laughed as they continued throwing snow at each other and soon they teamed up and started attacking Henry with snowballs. You would never know that just days ago this was a broken family.

Regina was the first to raise the white flag. "Okay, okay!" She laughed, slowly sobering. "I'm freezing. Let's go get that hot chocolate and I'll make us all dinner when we get back. Sound like a plan?" Emma and Henry nodded with smiles on their faces and they all walked back to their cars, wiping ample amounts of snow off of themselves as they went.

* * *

Going to end this one here! Hope you've enjoyed the nice fluffy family time because rough seas are ahead soon! Review, please! Let me know if I am pacing this okay and if you have criticism for me. Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

Regina laid in bed going over the day's events. She felt lighter than she had in years and, surprisingly, all thanks to Emma. A smile came over her face as she thought of the snow fight and the pleasant dinner afterward. Who would have thought that the one who was going to ruin everything she had built would be the same person she was slowly realizing was a positive influence in her life? And the fact that Henry had a permanent smile on his face all day warmed her heart.

Just as she was getting ready to turn over and try to sleep, her phone vibrated and the screen lit up. She lifted her phone, looked at the screen, and saw that Emma had texted her.

"I had a really nice time spending the day with you and Henry. Thank you for coming with us on one of our playdates. I'm sure it meant the world to Henry," read the text. A smile appeared on her face and just as she was going to respond, another came through. "I'm sorry that it took what happened to Henry for us to try being friends. I feel like today proved that we've been missing out and that all of the bickering and fighting has been for nothing. Don't get me wrong, you're a pain in my ass…but you're alright. Have a good night. –E" Regina sighed and opened up the text bar to respond.

"Today was different and I can't say that I didn't enjoy it. Thank you for helping me come out of my shell a bit. I think both Henry and I needed it. As far as you and I, well, you're still a pain in mine, too, but I'm truly trying to see past that. ;) Goodnight dear. –R" Regina hit send and placed her phone back onto her night stand. Maybe this friendship thing could work. As the thought crossed her mind, guilt pooled in her stomach. A friendship built on lies is not real. Putting the thought out of her mind for the night, she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing and soon dream-world pulled her in.

* * *

"Get her!" Grumpy shouted, a mob of townspeople charging angrily alongside him.

Regina ran for her life, running to the only place she could think of that could possibly hold off the entire town. She stumbled through the cemetery, slowly gaining a bit of distance from them as she knew all of the short cuts. As soon as she made it into the crypt she turned, shut the door, and placed a protection spell. She quickly made her way down the stairs and once at the bottom, that was when she saw them. Henry and Emma stood side by side staring straight ahead at her. She took a slow step forward.

"Henry? Emma? What are you doing here?"

"You lied," they said in unison. Something wasn't right about how they were speaking, how they were looking at her. It was as though they were entranced by a spell somehow.

"I'm sorry. Really, I am. I didn't mean for this to happen." Tears started pouring down her cheeks as she advanced forward. "Emma, Henry…please. You know I'm not the same person anymore. I've changed."

She stopped in her tracks when she saw a burst of white light appear in Emma's hand. It swirled around, electrifying and pulsing, draining the power from the protection spell Regina had placed. She could feel her spell wearing off and shortly after, she heard the banging on the crypt doors upstairs.

"Emma, please. Stop." Regina pleaded.

"The Evil Queen must die," both Henry and Emma said together, their gazes never leaving hers.

Regina heard the doors give-way upstairs and soon she heard footsteps gaining on her.

"I'm not her anymore, I swear! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Regina cried. "I'll fix this, I promise!" She had nowhere to go. Her powers weren't strong enough, not used to these emotions. She couldn't control them.

"The Evil Queen must die."

"No! Please!" She screamed as she saw Emma raising her hand.

* * *

"No! Please! Nooooo!" Regina thrashed around in bed, sweat soaking through her pajamas.

"Mom, Mom. Wake up! It's just a nightmare." Henry tried shaking her gently. He'd never seen this from his mother before. "Mom," he said more firmly, "wake up!"

Regina's movements started to slow down and she opened her eyes to see Henry before her; the fear in his eyes pierced through her. Suddenly her stomach rolled and she jumped from the bed to her personal bathroom. She had barely made it to the toilet before her stomach turned itself inside out. Henry walked up behind her when she was done and laid a hand on her forehead.

"Mom, you're really hot. Let's get you back to bed," Henry said and tried to get her to stand. Regina shook her head slowly and started to lay herself onto the floor.

"I'll be okay, sweetie. It's just the nightmare. I'm just going to lay here for a little while and let my stomach settle. Go on back to bed." Regina tried reassuring him.

"Are-are you sure?" Henry asked uneasily.

Regina nodded slowly. She regretted the small movement as her head started spinning and her stomach started to feel queasy again. "Go on, Henry. I'll be fine." She didn't want him to see her like this.

"Okay, Mom. I love you." Henry said and started walking backwards, not fully believing that she was okay.

"I love you, too." Regina said quietly. Once Henry was gone, she got up quickly and braced herself above the toilet. She tried taking slow deep breaths, but it didn't help. Her stomach caved in on itself again and she kept heaving until nothing came back up.

Physically exhausted, she all but collapsed onto the floor, the cool tiles feeling amazing against her burning skin. Only a few moments passed by before she grew too tired to move back to bed and she closed her eyes as a dreamless sleep overtook her.

"Good morning, Henry! You're up early." Emma said into the phone. She looked over to her alarm clock and saw it just only just before six. She rubbed her free hand over her face to clear the sleep away.

"Emma, something's wrong with Mom." Henry blurted out, slightly panicked.

Emma sat up slightly and leaned on an elbow. "What do you mean?" Her tone was serious.

"She had a nightmare last night and it took me a while to wake her up, but when I did she got sick in the bathroom. Her face felt really hot but she told me to go back to bed and said she was fine, but when I woke up she was still on the floor. I can't wake her up, Emma." Henry's voice was tearful and he paced his bedroom as he talked.

Emma jumped out of bed and placed her phone on speaker mode. "Henry, is she breathing?" Emma was beginning to become a little panicked herself. She started throwing whatever clothes she could find on, not caring if they matched or not.

"Yes," came Henry's scared response.

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, Henry, I'm on my way over now. Go sit with your mom and I'll be right there."

"Okay." Henry hung up the phone and walked hurriedly into his mother's bathroom. She was curled up in front of the toilet in a fetal position and he noticed she was shivering. He placed a hand to her damp forehead and he was surprised to find that she felt warmer than last night. Henry got up and grabbed a blanket from her bed and laid it upon her and thought of what to do next. Whenever he was sick his mom put a cool face cloth on his forehead. He leaped into action and once he retrieved one, he placed it on her forehead and curled up next to her on the floor. After a few minutes he heard the door open and shut downstairs and then footsteps coming closer.

"Henry?" Emma called out.

"In here." He sat up and waited for Emma who appeared a moment later.

"Hey kid," she offered him a reassuring smile. "Why don't you head downstairs and get something to eat, okay? I'll take care of her."

"Are you sure?" Henry got to his feet but stood there uneasily as Emma crouched down in front of Regina.

Emma looked to him and ran her hand up and down his arm soothingly and smiled. "Yes, of course. Don't worry, okay?"

Henry seemed to relax a little and he nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Emma."

When Henry was gone, Emma turned to Regina. Her face was flushed and she shivered, leaving Emma no doubts that she had a fever. "Regina," Emma said softly. She tried shaking her gently, but Regina stayed fast asleep. "Regina," she tried again. A soft groan escaped Regina's lips and she turned her face.

"I'm not her anymore," Regina mumbled so quietly that Emma almost didn't hear it.

"What?" Emma asked and leaned closer.

"I've changed. I promise. I'm not her." Regina's eyebrows came together and a strangled sob came from her lips. Emma's heart broke at what she saw.

She gave Regina a moment and soon the crying stopped. She wasn't sure if Regina was awake or not, but thought it best to move her back into bed regardless. She removed the blanket from her, gently lifted her, and slowly walked her into the adjoined bedroom. After carefully getting Regina settled, Emma went back in the bathroom and retrieved some Tylenol and water.

"Regina, I need you to wake up." Emma said firmly and sat on the edge of the bed.

Surprisingly, Regina stirred and slowly opened her eyes. "Emma?" She asked weakly. "What are you doing here?"

"Here, take this." Emma ordered softly and was happy that Regina complied easily. "Henry called and was worried so I came over."

"I'm f-fine. It's just a stomach bug." Even sick, Regina was stubborn and it made Emma roll her eyes.

"Even if that's so, I told Henry I was going to take care of you, so you're stuck with me." After not getting a response, she realized Regina's breathing had evened out again and that she had fallen back to sleep. Emma quietly tip-toed out of the bedroom and made her way downstairs to check on Henry. He was sitting in the kitchen on a stool eating cereal and looked up when he heard her enter.

"How is she?" he asked nervously.

"No need to worry. She's in bed now and I gave her some medicine to help her feel better." Henry nodded in response and Emma moved to stand in front on him on the other side of the counter. "So, what do you say we have some fun?" Emma leaned in front of him on her elbows and smiled.

"Like what?" Henry asked and placed his spoon in his now empty bowl.

"Ever make a fort out of couch cushions and blankets?" Emma asked mischievously. Henry shook his head and smiled, and quickly set off with Emma into the living room.

* * *

When Regina awoke, she was confused and looked at her alarm clock. 'It's after twelve; how did I sleep this much?' After a moment she realized that her pajamas and sheets were damp with sweat and she got up and changed both before heading downstairs. When she reached the bottom stair she heard giggling coming from the living room and worked her way in there. She was appalled at what she saw before her.

"Henry? What is this?" Regina asked and crossed her arms over her chest.

Two heads popped up from underneath the fort. "Mom! You're awake!"

"Good to see you're feeling better." Emma smiled.

"What do you mean?" Regina asked. Then the prior night came back to her. The nightmare. Instantly dread overcame her as she looked between Emma and Henry and she fought against the panic. "Miss Swan, I think you should leave… Henry, let's start picking up, please." Regina started moving into the living room and began folding blankets.

"What? Why?" Henry pouted.

"Regina, it's just a fort. I-"

"Just…go." Regina didn't have it in her to fight and Emma could see that right now wasn't the time.

Confused, Emma got up and helped Henry out of the fort. "Be good and don't give your mom a hard time, okay?" she whispered to him as she hugged him. Henry nodded as he hugged her back and then started moving the couch cushions back to where they belonged.

As Emma moved to leave, she placed a hand on Regina's arm, trying to gain her attention. Regina flinched away from her touch and didn't meet her eyes. "Are we okay?" she asked confused, a trace of sadness in her voice.

Hearing Emma's tone, Regina met her eyes and was surprised at what she saw in them. Fear, sadness, and…longing? A strange feeling stirred inside of her but she pushed it aside and looked away.

"Please, Emma," Regina pleaded, her voice a mixture of exhaustion and defeat.

Emma cleared her throat softly and nodded. "Goodbye."

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Uh oh! What's going on? Let me know what you think! Xo.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites! This is a slightly smaller chapter, but I hope you like it regardless!

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Days had gone by and all Emma heard from Regina was silence. She had stopped by her office and tried calling, but it was clear that Regina didn't want to be bothered. Emma was confused about what had changed. Everything had seemed to be going well and they had agreed they enjoyed each other's company, so why was Regina avoiding her?

With hope that she would run into her, Emma pulled up outside of the school and waited to see if she was going to pick up Henry. After the last bell rang, she saw her son walk out of the school and she got out of the car.

"Hey, Henry!" Emma called him over to her.

"Emma? What are you doing here?" Henry asked confused.

"Just wanted to stop by and say hi. I've been trying to get in touch with your mom, but she hasn't returned my calls. Is everything alright at home?" Emma asked as they moved to lean against the side of the cruiser.

"Well, she looks like she is feeling better, but she's been really quiet. I've walked home from school all week so far and she has been doing all of her work in her study. I don't know what's going on…" Henry looked down.

Emma hated to see Henry upset. "Hey, come on. Want to go to Granny's and get some hot chocolate?" She smiled down at him and was relieved to see a small smile on his face in return. "Good, let's go. And here," she handed him her phone, "text your mom and let her know that you're with me and I'll have you home for dinner."

* * *

Later, Emma and Henry walked into the mansion, expecting to smell one of Regina's signature dishes cooking in the kitchen but smelled nothing. They walked further through the halls and once outside of Regina's study, the door ajar, Henry knocked. "Mom?" he called quietly.

"Come in." Regina answered. Something was off about the way she spoke causing Emma and Henry to look at each other in confusion.

Emma opened the door slowly and both she and Henry were shocked at what they found. There, sat her large desk, was an inebriated Regina Mills. Her make-up was smudged in some areas, her hair not the picture perfect style that they were used to seeing, and the usually crisp, wrinkle-free attire she always fashioned was non-existent. "Regina?" Emma asked in disbelief.

"Of course, you couldn't just leave me alone… Always have to be the 'savior'," Regina sniggered and took a long drag of the cider in her glass.

"Henry, why don't you go upstairs while I talk with your mom, okay?" Emma gently squeezed Henry's arm and he happily obeyed. Once he was out of ear shot, Emma walked further into the room and stood at the opposite side of Regina's desk. "What's going on, Regina?"

"Isn't it clear, EMMA?" Regina chuckled. She stood up and stumbled as she moved around the desk to stand in front of her. "I'm drunk," she chuckled again and took another sip.

"I think you've had enough," Emma stopped the sip midway and nearly spilled the cider as she pulled it away from Regina. "Come on, I'll make you some coffee." She moved to turn and lead Regina into the kitchen, but a hand on her arm spun her back around.

"How DARE you come into MY house and tell me when I've had enough?!" Regina spat.

"When you can barely stand." Emma pointed at her swaying form and continued, "Henry shouldn't be seeing this, Regina."

"Stop acting like you know what is best for everyone! Y-you come into town and expect to take my son away, take my town, destroy EVERYTHING I've worked so hard to build!" Tears started to fall, and Emma watched in shock as the woman before her fell apart before her eyes. "You can't take everything away. I'VE CHANGED! I'm not her anymore!"

"Regina," Emma moved closer to her and steadied Regina's swaying body and held her firm by the arms, "you're not making any sense. I've never wanted to take anyone or anything from you. And I don't know who it is that you keep thinking I believe you are, but all I see is Regina."

Sobs ripped through Regina's body and her knees started to give out on her. Emma gently guided her to the floor and sat down in front of her. Regina held her face in her hands and continued to cry. Emma sat there with her for a few minutes and rested a comforting hand on her knee. She rubbed small circles into the fabric and waited for Regina to speak again; and when Regina looked up and met her gaze, her heart shattered for the broken woman.

"I-I just want…I want to be ha-happy." Regina sniffled and tried to rid her cheeks of the tears in vain as they kept falling.

"You can be, Regina… What makes you think you can't be?" Emma tried so hard to understand what was going through her head. Regina stared at her for a moment and sighed in frustration.

"This life is a lie… I've made a huge mess and now everything is going to fall apart." She crumpled again and Emma pulled Regina into her lap, happy when she met no resistance.

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's small waist and after a moment, Regina buried her face in the crook of her friend's neck. Emma let the tears soak through her shirt and after several minutes, she heard the little hiccups come from Regina as she started to calm.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked just above a whisper. Regina pulled away from her shoulder and looked into Emma's eyes in silence. Emma gave her a small smile and wiped away the tears that remained on her cheeks. When she saw Regina's gaze fall to her lips and back to her eyes, she felt herself being drawn to her and within a moment their faces were mere millimeters apart, their breaths mingling.

"Emma," Regina breathed. She moved her hand to guide Emma's lips to hers when all of a sudden she felt it. She jumped out of Emma's embrace and scooted backward on the floor. Emma looked at her with confused, hurt eyes. "You need to go, Emma."

"Regina, I'm sorry." Emma tried moving closer and reached out towards her.

Regina scooted back further until she hit the wall and shook her head, her eyes fearful. "Please don't come any closer. Please leave. We-we can't. I can't…" Regina felt on the verge of a panic attack and began to tremble.

"Okay, okay." Emma said soothingly. She stood with her hands up, showing she wasn't going to move near her. Regina's eyes stayed on her as she moved towards the door. "I'm going to take Henry with me for tonight..."At Regina's small nod, she gave her one last glance. "I'm sorry, Regina." Emma apologized and left her alone in the study.

When she heard the front door of the mansion open and then close, Regina gasped for air and raised trembling hands onto her lap and started at them. She looked to the lamp on her desk, back to her right hand, and then as she looked back to the lamp she held her hand up before it and gasped in shock as it slightly moved.

"No, no, no. This can't be true… It can't be…" Regina stared at her hands as the unmistakable feeling of magic pulsed through her veins. 'The Savior will be my undoing… Emma's is my undoing. But then why have I never felt the magic surface until just now?' Her intoxicated brain tried making sense of it all when she remembered their near kiss. "True love's kiss…" Regina said aloud to no one. She brought her fingers to her lips and stared straight ahead in shock.

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Don't hate me! I'm sorry! Please review and let me know what your thoughts are. Xo.


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you all for the reviews, follows, and favorites! :) Enjoy!

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On the way home Emma and Henry sat in silence. Henry could see the look of confusion written on Emma's face and he thought it would be best to try and let her work it out on her own. Chances were he'd be told that he was too young and wouldn't understand anyway.

Emma was grateful for the quiet ride home. 'What just happened back there?' Emma had no idea what came over either of them. First, what had caused Regina to feel the need to drink herself into a stupor? And second, they almost kissed?! She'd never had feelings for women before, and certainly up until that moment, she'd never looked at Regina that way. Sure, they'd been getting closer and yes, Regina made her nervous, but Emma had just chalked that up to not wanting to screw up and ruin anything. Was her nervousness really butterflies; subconscious romantic feelings? Emma felt herself flush, and thanks to the darkening sky, Henry couldn't see it. She shook her head as they pulled up outside of her place and turned to Henry.

"You okay, kid?" she asked. She was sure he'd never seen that side of his mother before.

Henry nodded. "Is she going to be okay, Emma?" he asked, and Emma saw the worry that lurked in his eyes.

"Of course," Emma said with a reassuring smile. "Your mom is just going through some stuff right now and once she works through it, she'll be back to her normal self."

"Okay," Henry said and looked down at his hands for a moment before looking back at her. "Do you mind if I stay with you until that happens?"

Emma's heart broke for her son, and she gently ran her hand through his hair. "Of course. I'll talk to your mom and let her know. We'll stop by your house tomorrow after school and grab somethings, okay?"

"Thanks, Emma." He visibly relaxed and gave her a small smile.

"C'mon, let's go get something to eat and I'll help you with your homework." Emma said, ready for a distraction from the thoughts running rampant through her mind.

* * *

The next day after Emma picked Henry up from school, they headed to the mansion to grab some clothes and for Emma to talk to Regina. She hadn't bothered calling or texting the mayor, knowing she would be met with no response like the days prior to all of this happening.

When they arrived, Henry ran into the house and immediately went up to his room to pack without even trying to look for his mother. Emma walked through the house, room by room, until she stood outside of Regina's study and she braced herself. She took a steadying breath and raised her hand to knock, but jumped in surprise when the door opened before she got to, and she couldn't believe her eyes.

Regina stood before her looking the complete polar opposite of the woman she saw last night. She wore a three quarter sleeved, red blouse that showed off her neck and a modest amount of cleavage, and a black pencil skirt that hugged her curves in all of the right places and showed off her long, toned legs. Her hair was styled flawlessly, not a strand out of place, and her make-up was dark and accentuated her plump lips and striking eyes.

"Hello, Miss Swan. I thought I heard Henry running upstairs." Regina said with a small smile.

Emma audibly gulped, trying to find words. "H-hi," was all she could come up with.

Regina smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. She saw Emma shift uncomfortably from foot to foot in front of her and the mirth in her eyes changed to concern. "Is something bothering you?" she asked.

Emma cleared her throat. "Um…about last night, Regina-"

Regina held a hand up and silenced her. "Yes, about that. I sincerely apologize for my behavior last night, Emma. I know it's not an excuse, but I don't normally get that…intoxicated and I am very sorry for my actions. I crossed the line, and it won't happen again."

Emma shook her head slightly and smiled awkwardly. "No, no…it's okay. You don't have to apologize. We all go through stuff… I've had my fair share of mistakes…" Emma replied, trying to hide her disappointment. Regina still picked up on it, but she chose to ignore it.

"No hard feelings?" Regina asked hopefully.

"Nah, none. Um, Henry asked to stay with me for a few days until you know…you worked out whatever you were going through, but if you are okay…"

Regina sighed and leaned against the door frame while she rubbed her forehead. "I feel terrible. He's never seen me like that before…"

Emma reached out a hand a grabbed her wrist gently. "Just talk to him, Regina. Honesty goes a long way." Her words were soft and kind but after seeing Regina stiffen at her touch, she pulled her hand back, shoved both of them in her pockets, and stood there awkwardly.

"Emma are you-" Henry stopped when he saw Regina. "Mom?" he asked hopefully.

"Henry," Regina said and knelt down and smiled as he all but ran into her arms. "I'm so sorry, Henry."

"It's okay, Mom. Are you feeling better?" he asked and leaned away from the embrace to look at her.

Regina forced the best smile she could muster and nodded. "Yes, I am."

Henry's smile beamed and he looked up at Emma from his spot in Regina's arms. "Emma, do you mind if I stay home with Mom?"

Emma gave Henry a smile and ruffled his hair. "Not at all, kid. You two need some time together anyway. I'll pick you up one day this weekend for a playdate, okay?"

Henry nodded and hugged Regina tightly again. Regina hugged him back and looked up at Emma, her smile faltering.

"Glad you're feeling better, Regina. I'll text you later about plans for this weekend." Emma said walking backwards, finding it hard to meet Regina's eyes. Her tone and posture were awkward, and with a final nod she turned around and left.

Regina's heart hammered in her chest, but when Henry leaned out of her embrace again, she forced a smile for him. "Want a snack?" she asked, trying not to think of the disappointment in Emma's eyes. Henry nodded and they set about their normal after school routine.

* * *

Regina laid in bed staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Today was hard. After seeing the hurt, confusion, and disappointment in Emma's eyes, guilt ate away at her. Making Emma feel that way was the last thing she wanted to do, but it was necessary. If she let them continue on the path they were on, she had no doubts in her mind the curse would break and that was something that couldn't happen. They could be friends, but no more.

She chuckled as the thought crossed her mind. When had more even become an option? Sure, she was drunk last night, but not to the point where she wasn't in control of her feelings. If anything, when she drank her true feelings always became more prominent and surfaced more freely. When had she started to feel this way towards the Savior? And better yet, when had Emma started to feel the same?

"It doesn't matter," she whispered into the darkness of her room. She gave into the fact that true love was out of the question. This was it for her. A lump formed in her throat and she didn't bother trying to hold back the silent tears of frustration that fell. No, her feelings for Emma were not strong right now, but how was she supposed to continue to be friends with her knowing they were meant to be? How was she supposed to keep her word to Henry, but keep her feelings from becoming more powerful each day?

There was no guarantee that if the curse broke and Emma found out the truth that she'd stay, regardless if they were each other's true love. Emma might even take Henry away… The thought of losing them caused a small whimper to escape her lips. No… This way was safer.

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Hope you guys enjoyed. Sorry, no fluffiness. :( But please review! I'd like to know what you're thinking! Xo.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey, guys and gals! I'm sorry you had to wait a couple of days for this one, but it's here! I'll be away for the weekend, but I will try to post throughout if I can. Hope you enjoy!

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It wasn't long before things started to feel like they were returning back to normal. Regina had returned to her office, went to her arduous meetings for hours on end, and then finally home to her son just like she used to. Emma had made herself scarce, only ever making herself known when it had to do with business-natured things or if it was about Henry, oddly enough, just like it used to be.

Regina sat at her desk thinking about that while she twirled a pen in her hand absentmindedly. When she last spoke to Emma about things of a more personal nature, she hadn't meant for her to stop coming around… And to be honest, Regina had found that she missed the blonde's company more and more with every passing day. What was she to do? This whole friendship thing was still very new to her… Should she call Emma and ask her over for another family dinner and a movie? No, as much as that thought warmed her heart, the setting would be much too… intimate. Completely conscious of their feelings toward one another, that wouldn't be a smart idea…

A knock at her door disrupted her thoughts and she quickly straightened in her chair, tidied her desk, and cleared her throat. "Come in," she answered.

Her secretary peeked her head inside. "Mayor Mills, Mr. Gold is here to see you," she spoke softly.

With a heavy sigh, Regina leaned back into her chair. "Send him in," she ordered with a light wave of her hand. Her secretary nodded and no sooner had she retreated, Mr. Gold had entered with a sly smile on his face.

"Ah, Mayor Mills," he greeted as he limped over to her desk.

Regina gestured for him to sit in the chair opposite her, to which he gratefully accepted. "What brings you here, Mr. Gold? It's not too often that I get a visit from you." She leaned forward, trying to read his eyes, but as usual all she met was his heavily guarded gaze.

"Yes, I know. I had noticed over the last week that you weren't here often and I thought that I would stop by to check in, make sure everything was okay." There was a momentary glint of humor in his eyes as he spoke, a hint of ingenuity in his voice.

Regina crossed her arms over her chest defensively, but forced her award winning mayoral smile. "Everything is fine, but thank you for your concern."

Mr. God sat forward in his seat, taking the edge of the cushion, and stared her down with a light chuckle. "I'm glad to hear that. I know that unexpected surprises are sometimes hard to deal with, but I wouldn't expect that you'd have a difficult time in handling them." He slowly stood up and received a pensive glare from the mayor.

"What are you getting at, Mr. Gold?" Regina leaned forward in her seat slightly.

He looked down at the basket of apples that sat upon her desk and lifted on into his hand. "You know," he smiled sardonically, "the blizzard, Henry." He tossed the apple to her and she caught it before he turned away and limped out of her office.

Mr. Gold knew something, and this wasn't the first time he led her to believe so, either. But how? The curse took away everyone's memories, including his… Didn't it? She rolled the apple in her hands absentmindedly and after a few moments an idea came to her, Gold nearly forgotten. She picked up her phone and started to text.

Across town, Emma was sitting at the station with her feet propped up on her desk. Since she had been avoiding Regina's presence, she'd caught up on all of the paperwork she had always neglected and today was left with nothing to do but wait for something to happen. She looked at her clock and sighed heavily, noting that it was only just after 2:30pm which meant her already long day was not even close to being over. Her cell phone shrilled and she moved to read the text hoping someone needed help with something, anything. Butterflies…no, it was more like bats, flew around in her stomach when she noticed the text was from Regina and she took a moment before reading it.

"Good afternoon, Emma. I was wondering if you would like to come over tonight for a family fun night with Henry and I? Henry has been asking for you and I think it would be a nice surprise if you were there with us. I know this is last minute, but either way, please let me know. –R"

Emma looked up, mulling over the text. Surely a family fun night would be innocent enough and she did miss Henry, too. As the thought crossed her mind she stood up and started slowly pacing. 'Stop being selfish and go tonight,' she berated herself. 'It's time to move on,' she thought and sat back down to text Regina back. She was surprised when she received a response back within a minute telling her a time. It caused a smile to appear on her face and she finally began to relax.

* * *

There was a knock at the door and Regina's stomach twisted with nerves. This was the first time she'd been in Emma's presence since she'd regretfully hurt her and she was excited and nervous all at the same time. "Henry, can you get the door please?" she asked her son who sat on the floor building a lego set.

"Okay," he obeyed. When he opened the door he nearly jumped with glee. "Emma! What are you doing here?!" He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding on tight.

Emma chucked and hugged him back. "Your mother and I decided to surprise you with a family fun night. Before entering the house, she picked up a brown paper bag from the porch, which caught Henry's attention.

"What's that?" he asked curiously, walking backwards into the house as he tried to peek into it.

"Snacks," Emma smiled and walked into the kitchen with him.

"Hello, Emma," Regina greeted from behind the counter. She noticed Emma's smile falter for a moment, but she recovered quickly. "I do hope that bag is filled with some nutritional snacks?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Emma shook her head and walked up to the counter and dumped the bag out, gaining a small shake of the head from Regina. Emma chuckled at her lack of appreciation.

"YES!" Henry exclaimed. "I call the Doritos!" When he received a frown from his mother, he pulled out the puppy dog eyes.

Regina sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't even know why I try when Emma is here. I can't say no to either of you." She earned an excited smile from Henry and she watched him move to clean up his legos. When she looked over at Emma, she saw her standing there awkwardly with her hands tucked into her back pockets and worrying her bottom lip absentmindedly. Regina let her gaze linger on Emma's lip for a moment longer than necessary and felt her face flush when Emma caught onto what she was looking at. She moved to busy herself with preparing the snacks, quickly turning to grab bowls from the cabinets. This was going to be a long night…

Much to their relief, once they started playing games the tension between them started to dissipate. They all laughed and teased each other and time passed quickly. Stolen glances were taken here and there throughout the night, unable to help themselves. When Henry yawned, Regina looked at her watch and was surprised to see that it was way past Henry's bedtime.

"Okay, little prince, it's time for bed." Regina stood from her chair and stretched lightly. She saw Emma's eyes on her out of the corner of her eye but chose to ignore it and crossed her arms over chest.

"Awe, but Mom, I'm not even tired." Henry yawned again.

Both Regina and Emma laughed at the boy who looked like he could barely sit up straight. "Go on, kid. Listen to your mom. We'll do this again soon," Emma helped with a smile.

"Okay," Henry replied tiredly. He made his way around the table and hugged Emma tight. "Goodnight, Emma."

"G'night," she smiled. She could never grow tired of his hugs.

"I'll be back in a minute," Regina said to Emma and then walked Henry upstairs to tuck him in.

Emma let out a breath of relief, thankful for a moment alone to collect her thoughts. She was proud of herself for not running away from their situation and that she handled it like an adult. With a mental pat on the back, she started to pick up the evidence of their game night. After she was nearly done cleaning up, Regina returned with a surprised look on her face.

"That was quick," Regina said with a smile.

"Yeah, just keeping busy." Emma handed her a nearly empty chip bowl, grabbed the rest herself, and followed Regina into the kitchen. They cleaned the dishes in silence, following the same routine as the last time, and once they were finished, Emma cleared her throat before speaking. "Well, I guess I should go."

"Nonsense, Emma. Join me for a cider?" Regina knew that she should have just let her go home, but it was nice to have her friend back. She missed it, missed her.

'Go home, Emma. Go home.' Emma scolded herself internally, but she smiled and nodded at Regina's offer. She watched silently as Regina moved about getting their drinks and followed her into the living room.

They sat down on the couch and sipped their cider in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes, neither knowing what to talk about. Emma sighed and tried for conversation. "So, you're feeling better? Are things back to normal?"

Regina nodded with another sip of cider. "Yes, and I wanted to thank you, actually. You were there for Henry when I couldn't be…" she paused, not certain she should say it, but she added it in anyway, "and…you were there for me, too. So…yes. Thank you," she finished quietly and looked down into her glass, not comfortable looking Emma in the eyes at the moment.

Emma took a long drag of cider, trying to put that night out of her mind. That was dangerous territory.

"What are friends for?" she tried for nonchalance and shrugged.

When Regina heard the tone of Emma's voice she felt relieved and looked up. Her words died in her throat when she saw that Emma's eyes betrayed the casual response she had given. She saw rejection, longing, hurt, and desire swirling around in a captivating gaze. She couldn't stop her breath from hitching and she felt her nerves start going haywire.

"Is something wrong?" Emma asked after noticing the change in Regina's demeanor. When she didn't get a response, she placed her glass on the table and moved to sit closer to Regina and tried to get her attention. "Hey…"

Regina closed her eyes and tried focusing on her breathing in vain as she felt her glass being pulled out of her grasp and a warm hand take hold of one of her trembling ones.

"Regina, you're shaking. What's wrong?" Emma was growing more worried as the seconds ticked by.

Swallowing thickly, Regina opened her eyes and gasped lightly at how close Emma was. She smiled sadly. "This wasn't how tonight was supposed to go," she whispered.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked confused.

Regina looked into her eyes and saw possibilities she couldn't ignore. "I can't say no to you," she mirrored her earlier statement and found herself looking at Emma's full lips before meeting her eyes once more. Emma's eyes searched her own, silently asking for permission to which Regina granted and closed the small distance between them, pressing her lips to Emma's in a gentle kiss.

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WELL, I sure hope you liked this chapter, my little SQ fans. :) Please leave a review and let me know! As mentioned before, I will try to post more this weekend! Xo.


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for making you wait so long for this chapter! I had to go away for the weekend and visited family. But here is the next one! Enjoy!

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The kiss was short and sweet, not demanding. They offered their souls to each other for safe keeping, not ever wanting their own back ever again. When they parted, they rested their foreheads against one another and savored the moment of pure lightheaded, fluffy bliss. Emma was the first to pull away and she opened her eyes and looked at Regina, who was slowly opening her own. She grew weary at the look of fear that she was seeing appear on Regina's face.

"Hey… are you okay?" Emma asked when Regina stood up wringing her hands softly. When Regina continued to pace, seemingly unaware Emma had said anything, Emma stood up and stopped her, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Regina, look at me."

"Emma…" Tears started to pool in her eyes.

"What is it, Regina? Tell me…" Emma encouraged and rubbed her hands soothingly up and down Regina's arms.

With a sigh, Regina started to look anywhere but at Emma. "I don't even know where to begin," she chuckled sadly. A lone tear slid down her cheek and she angrily wiped it away. It was now or never. "Emma… It's all real." When she didn't get a response, she met Emma's confused eyes.

"What is all real?"

"Come here…" Regina led her to the couch once again and sat down, taking Emma's hands in her own. "Do you feel any different?"

"I don't understand… About you? I-"

"No," Regina cut her off, "not about me. Inside. Do you feel any different?" Regina looked to their hands and Emma followed suit.

Emma hadn't noticed it at first, but something that she couldn't identify was pulsing through her veins. It felt like a white, hot energy was bubbling just beneath the surface. Her eyebrows contorted and a frown appeared on her face. "Regina, what's going on?" Confusion and panic was starting to well up inside of her and suddenly she felt like running away from Mifflin Street. She pulled her hands out of Regina's and inspected them, front and back.

"It's real, Emma. Magic… It's real." Regina replied quietly.

"What? What did you put in the cider, Regina? I think you've had too much, and clearly whatever you put in it is affecting me, too." Emma looked at her incredulously.

Regina shook her head and raised a hand before them, palm faced up, and took a steadying breath. "Emma…please don't run." Regina quietly begged.

"Wait. Wha-" First Emma saw a flash, then orange and yellow, and then felt the hot heat from the flame that poured out of Regina's palm. "What the- what the fuck is going on?!" Emma shot back to the other end of the couch and stood up. "Regina?"

"It's real, Emma. Magic is real." Regina closed her hand and the flame disappeared. Emma stared at her with a blank expression and Regina started to feel uneasy. Seconds turned into minutes and soon she couldn't take the silence. "Please say something…" Regina pleaded quietly.

"I…uh…" Emma looked down started to walk away, "I- I don't know what to say, Regina." She turned around and looked back at Regina, who had stood up and started to follow her like a lost puppy. "I gotta go…"

Regina shook her head. "Please, Emma. Let me explain." She reached out to take Emma's hand, and much to her dismay, Emma pulled away like she was afraid. "You don't have to be scared of me."

Emma looked into the sad, pleading eyes and felt herself begin to relax. "Regina..." she took a step closer to her, "I need time to think about this." She took Regina's hand in hers and looked at them in wonder. When she held her hand, warmth spread through her like a wildfire and it nearly consumed her. "I have powers, too?" she asked looking back up.

Regina nodded with a small, hopeful smile. "You're the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, also known as the Savior."

"Is what Henry said true? Am I supposed to defeat you?" Emma asked, a confused, sad feeling pooling slowly into her stomach.

Regina chuckled lightly and absentmindedly laced their fingers together. "It's my understanding that the Savior is the Evil Queen's undoing." She took a small, tentative step closer, bringing them right in front of each other. "You're my undoing…" she whispered.

Emma felt a pang of guilt overtake her at first, but when she looked into Regina's eyes, that guilt changed to a nervous, excited, curious ocean storm in her belly. She was completely entranced by Regina's chocolate gaze and felt herself being drawn in slowly. Their breaths mingled, neither one making a move to close the smallest of gaps between them. They brushed their noses against the other, eyes glazing over and falling closed; heartbeats grew more rapid and their breathing became heavier. Regina brought her free hand up to tangle it into silky, blonde locks, relishing in the feel of the strands gliding between her fingers. Emma sighed lightly as chills of pleasure made their way up her spine. The electric charge building between them was intoxicating and neither of them wanted it to end.

"Emma," Regina breathed, "hey," came another whisper. She pulled back gently, trailing her hand from Emma's hair to the back of her neck and rested it there to keep her close. When Emma's eyes opened they were darker than Regina had ever seen them and it made her lose her train of thought for a moment. Questioning eyes stared back at her and she was brought back to the present. "I need you to do me a favor, okay? I know we have a lot to talk about, but we don't have a lot of time…" she took a steadying breath, not wanting to face the truth. "This has always been what was meant to be…my curse was always meant to break because it wasn't really my curse. I didn't make it. And in breaking the curse, everyone in town is going to remember everything from back home in the Enchanted Forest…" She could see Emma try to piece all of what she was saying together to make sense of it all, and wished she had time to explain everything. "I know this is a lot to take in…but I need you to take Henry and get out of Storybrooke."

Emma started shaking her head in protest. "No, Regina, I-"

"Things are going to get bad here, Emma," Regina spoke over her. "I can't chance having something happen to either of you because of the mistakes I've made long ago. The townspeople aren't going to see that I'm not the same person I used to be. They're going to see the Evil Queen, the one who destroyed everything they knew, took away who they were, ripped families apart, hurt and killed so many…" Emma audibly gulped at the last part and it made Regina's stomach tighten. "Emma, please. Take Henry now and get out. They're sleeping now, most of them, but come morning Storybrooke won't be the same."

Tears started to pool in Emma's eyes. "What about you?" she asked fearfully.

Regina smiled and moved to take both of Emma's hands in hers. She squeezed them lightly and took a steadying breath. "I messed up, Emma. Very badly, and I think it's time that I took responsibility for it."

A tear escaped Emma's eye and Regina softly brushed it away. "What will they do?"

Regina chuckled sardonically in remembrance of the last time she was captured. "When Snow and Charming got me last time, I was sentenced to death." She heard a gasp come from Emma's lips and saw her tense up. "Snow took pity on me in the last moment and called it off. She freed me, in hopes that I would change. I messed up, Emma. I tried killing her the second I could. Long story short, I don't think she and her husband are going to be so willing to look the other way this time." Regina looked down, ashamed and defeated.

Emma wracked her brain. This couldn't just be it… "Wait," Emma said and lifted Regina's chin up to make her look at her, "Mary-," she paused a breath, "Snow and Charming are my parents… What if I could make them see you're not the same? They'll trust me. I'm their daughter."

Regina shook her head and smiled sadly. "It won't work, Emma. They'll think I had gotten to you and stole your heart, quite literally, out of your chest and that I'm in control of you. I'm not even sure they will remember their time here in Storybrooke… I can't chance you or Henry getting hurt, Emma. There is no other way. I'm sorry." Regina started to feel herself coming undone and pulled away from Emma and turned to walk away. Her chest felt heavy and she felt a lump form in her throat. She left Emma alone in the living room and walked upstairs to get Henry's belongings ready, but made a stop into the bathroom and broke down. Quiet sobs shook through her, tears coming down in blankets. This was it; this was the end. And quite possibly the end of her. She knew the only other option was to fight, but she lost that ability when she and Emma became friends. Emma changed her in a way she never thought possible.

She walked over to the sink and splashed cool water on her face to rid the tears and collected herself. After smoothing out her hair, she went to Henry's room and quietly opened the door. Her breath was stolen from her lungs when she laid eyes on her little boy sleeping in his bed. This was one of her favorite sights. He always looked so peaceful and innocent, not a care in the world. She tore her eyes away from him and quietly moved through the room, packing necessities and a few of his favorite comics and figurines, and then set the two bags by the door. With a heavy heart, she walked slowly up to his bed and sat down on the edge. She trailed fingers through his soft hair, "Henry, honey," she steadied her breath, "you need to wake up." When he stirred, she removed her hand and smiled sadly down at him when he opened his eyes.

"Mom?" he asked with a tired yawn and slowly sat up. "What time is it?"

Regina looked at her watch, "It's just before midnight."

He saw the sad look on her face, the glassy look in her sad eyes. "Mom, what's wrong?" He was awake now. Something wasn't right.

"Henry… you were right all along. About magic, about me, about everything…" she paused not wanting to say the rest. "Listen…the curse is broken," she smiled sadly, "and I need you to go with Emma. She's going to take you away from Storybrooke."

"No, Mom. I don't want to leave you," Henry started growing increasingly more upset as the seconds ticked by.

"Listen to me, Henry. We don't have a lot of time, okay? You know the stories. You know more about me and everyone in town than even I probably do. I need you to go with Emma. It's not going to be safe here and I don't want you to see any of this."

"But, Mom," Henry said tearfully, "I don't want anything bad to happen to you. That was never what I wanted. I just wanted everyone to get their happy endings. This is my fault." Tears freely poured down his cheeks and he allowed Regina to scoop him up into her arms and rock him gently. She rested her chin on top of his head and shushed him soothingly.

"None of this is your fault, Henry. It's mine. And now I am going to do the right thing. You and Emma have changed me and I have to do this. You understand that, don't you?" she asked and when he pulled out of her embrace, she could see in his teary eyes that he did. "I love you, Henry. You're the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me. Always know that, okay?" She smiled at him with her own watery eyes and kissed him on the forehead. "Come on, we need to go."

As they walked down the stairs, they saw Emma standing there with a look of dread and sadness. Regina stopped and turned to Henry and spoke loud enough so only he could hear her. "Your book is in one of these bags. Teach Emma. Help her understand, Henry. Okay?" she asked. At Henry's silent nod, they continued and soon stood before Emma.

"Hey, kid." Emma tried forcing a smile. "Ready for a trip?"

"I guess." Henry said sadly and looked back up at Regina. "I love you, Mom." He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and she returned his embrace. She placed firm kisses on his head and silent tears escaped her closed eyes. When Henry pulled away, he walked and stood by the door to give his mothers a moment.

Emma looked like her whole world had just come crashing down around her, and Regina couldn't help but feel guilty. "Emma, take care of our boy?" Regina said with a watery smile. Emma took a step forward and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. They inhaled each other's scents and melted into one another and didn't want to let go.

"I'm coming back for you, Regina." Emma whispered into her ear.

"Emma, no-" Regina pulled away.

"I'm going to bring Henry somewhere safe and I'm coming back for you." She said with finality and pulled Regina to her and brought their lips together in a passionate kiss, much different than their first. It spoke of promise, fear, and unspoken love. When they pulled apart, they shared silent words through their gaze and after one final squeeze of Regina's hand, she and Henry left.

Regina brought a hand to her swollen lips for a moment, then straightened her clothes out, and walked back into the living room. She sat in her favorite love-seat with a glass of her favorite cider and waited for what was to come.

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Thank you for reading and sticking with me through this! Please review and let me know what you thought! I'll update soon! Xo.


	13. Chapter 13

Hey, guys! Sorry it took a few days for me to get this on here. I literally had to rewrite certain parts of this because I absolutely hated it, and more than once. I even changed the direction I was going to take this story in because it was terrible. Haha. I've also come to realize that, even while they're needed, I despise bridge chapters. They're not my forte. So I apologize for the short chapter! I promise the next one will be MUCH more exciting and better!

Also, to the guest reviewer who didn't understand why Regina stayed, I hope this answers things for you! : )

Enjoy!

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"Emma, why couldn't she come with us?" Henry was sick to his stomach with worry. When he went to bed the night before, it was just a normal night. He expected to wake up the next morning like it was any other day.

"She said she had to do the right thing, Henry. She wants to take responsibility for what she did in the past…" Emma gripped the steering wheel tightly as they drove through the dark. The town line was just ahead of them and her stomach was twisting in knots. When they crossed the line, she grew even more anxious to turn back around.

Henry had tears falling down his cheeks. "I don't want anything bad to happen. Will they hurt her?"

"I…I don't know. I don't know who the townspeople really are apart from the curse..." Emma was having a hard time coming to terms with the truth that Regina had just unveiled minutes ago. It was bad enough that Regina was in danger, but the reason for being so was almost too much to wrap her head around. Magic? The Evil Queen? Fairytales being real? It felt like she was part of a horrible prank, one that she wanted to be done and over with before it even started.

Henry sniffled beside her, clutching his book of fairytales to his chest. "Where are we going?" he asked quietly.

Emma sighed. She didn't have many people she could leave Henry with for the time being. Only one person came to mind. "We're headed to Boston, kid. I'm going to call my old boss and have him look out for you while I'm gone."

"You're leaving me there? Where are you going?" Henry asked, panic clear in his voice.

"I'm going back for your mom, Henry. She doesn't want you to see anything bad that could happen, and I agree. But I'm the…savior." The words sounded foreign to her. "I can't sit back and let something happen to her."

"Are you going to convince her to come to Boston with us?" Henry asked.

"I'm hoping that I can convince the town that she's not the person she used to be… But I don't know if it'll work. Got any tips? You know the fairytales better than I do."

Henry thought for a minute. "Snow and Charming will be in charge… The town will follow their lead if you can convince them. You're their daughter, Emma. They'll trust you."

"Do you think that is enough to make them give Regina another chance? What if it's not?"

"Then grab Mom and poof her out of there." Henry said matter-of-factly, as if it was no big thing.

"Poof her…what? Henry, you do realize I have no idea how to use these…powers… I know it's there, I can feel it, but I wouldn't know how to even try using them." Emma started to feel nauseas from being so overwhelmed.

"The book says that magic is tied to your emotions. You need to focus on what you want to happen and feel."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure you're making it sound a lot easier than it really is." She shook her head imperceptibly and sighed.

"Trust your instincts, Emma. That's what you do best, you've said it yourself." Henry encouraged, hope seeping back into his body.

Emma nodded, hoping that it wouldn't come to that. "Okay, you're right... Now, tell me everything I need to know. Show me pictures of who is who." She turned the small light in the car on and watched out of the corner of her eye as Henry nodded and opened the book.

"This is Rumpelstiltskin. He is the worst out of them all. He is known as The Dark One."

"Mr. Gold?" Emma asked as she glanced at the picture. This was completely mind boggling to her, but she knew she had no choice other than to trust in what was being told to her. She shrugged. "Alright, who is next?"

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Footsteps walking into the living room went unheard as a hooded figure moved to stand in front of a sleeping mayor. She had fallen asleep about an hour after Emma left, exhaustion and cider winning the battle. His eyes were full of hate, and a rage that had been brewing for twenty-eight years pulsed angrily through his veins. He walked slowly to stand behind her sleeping form and held his chin in his hand. 'This is too easy,' he thought to himself, slightly bored. 'No matter, there'll be plenty of time for fun later,' he smiled deviously and pulled out a cloth from his pocket. When he covered Regina's mouth and nose with the cloth, she instantly woke up and started to fight against him, screaming with panic and fear.

"Shhh… Just take nice deep breaths, my queen." Within moments, Regina grew weaker and was losing consciousness. "There…yes. That's it. Go back to sleep." He grinned when she collapsed back against the chair and he moved in front of her, staring at her like a predator with its prey. "Now the fun begins," he chuckled, lifted her over his shoulder with ease, and ducked out of the mansion.

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Emma pulled up to the Mayoral Mansion just as dawn was breaking. The soft pink, orange, and purple hues that littered the sky gave off the misconception that today was going to be a good day. As she got out of the cruiser and quickly walked into the house, she got a sinking feeling in her stomach that something wasn't right. The door was already ajar which set alarms off in her head and she was on high alert. She withdrew her gun, unsure of who was in there and what state of mind they were in, and walked through the house quietly room by room. She heard whispers in the kitchen and peeked around the corner, relief flooding through her as she saw them.

"Mary Margaret, David. Thank goodness it's just you." Emma walked into the room, holstering her gun. They looked back at her in shock and wonder, which gave Emma pause. "Um…guys?" she asked confused. Suddenly it dawned on her. "Oh…right," she looked to the floor a moment before meeting their eyes, "Hi, Mom, Dad…" she waved shyly. The two walked briskly over to their daughter and gathered her in their arms in their first family embrace in twenty-eight years. It was bittersweet.

"Finally." Mary Margaret sighed happily, tears trickling down her cheeks.

Emma pulled back uneasily and took a couple steps back. "I'm sorry… I know it's like yesterday for you guys…but I haven't had a mom and dad since I was little… It's going to take a little while to get used to."

Mary Margaret wiped the tears from her cheeks, trying to recover quickly. "No, no, it's okay. We get it," she smiled at Emma and then her husband. He returned the smile and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Uh, so what are you guys doing here? Where is Regina?" Emma asked, remembering why she was there in the first place.

Mary Margaret shook her head. "We don't know; we got here a little while before you did. She wasn't here."

Emma blanched before them. "Where do you think she is? Where would she go? She knew I was coming back for her…" Emma thought out loud.

"Wait, you were coming back for her? Why?" David asked bewilderedly. Emma could tell that he was more than just a little angry with the queen. "She's dangerous, Emma, and even more so now that magic is back."

"David," Mary Margaret took his hand in hers, calming him.

"Listen," Emma sighed, "I know that you're not feeling too forgiving at the moment, but I need your help finding her. She wouldn't leave. She told me she was ready to take responsibility for her wrongdoings… Someone must have taken her." Emma pleaded with her eyes. "Please, guys."

Mary Margaret and David looked at their daughter for a moment before turning to each other. "Emma's right, David; we need to look for her first. We can figure everything else out after." She squeezed his hand and he nodded in agreement.

"Okay, great," Emma said and relaxed a little. "So, any ideas? I know she has more enemies than friends in this town… Who would be able to help us?"

"Gold," David spoke up. "He's not my first choice, but he's definitely the one who will help us find her faster."

"Okay, let's go." Emma said and led the way to Gold's shop.

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Please review and let me know what you think! Thank you! Xo.


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you for the support, everyone! The rating will be changed on the next chapter as a precaution. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Enjoy! Xo.

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Regina awoke with a throbbing headache, intense nausea, and felt like she could barely move. She opened her eyes and had a hard time seeing through the blur that clouded them, but could tell that wherever she was, it was dark and had very little light to offer. The air smelled stale and thick, and she could feel the moisture from it stick to her. Confused as to where she was, she tried to reach up to rub the blurriness from her eyes, only to realize that her arms were tied down. Panic starting coursing through her veins and the nausea rolled in her stomach. 'Where am I?' Tears started to prick her eyes as she struggled to get her arms free. A moment more of struggling told her that her legs were also tied down.

"Help!" she tried. With no response, she continued to struggle against the restraints, growing exhausted within a minute. Her chest heaved as she took deep breaths and perspiration slid down her face from the extra exertion in the already damp atmosphere. "Help!" she tried again, tears of fear and frustration breaking through their dam.

"No one will hear you," a voice came from a dark corner. She blinked her eyes rapidly, willing the tears away at his voice.

"Who-who are you?" she asked uneasily. She grew impatient with herself. Queens didn't act this way. "Show yourself!" she demanded forcefully.

A chuckle came from a different angle and she turned her face in that direction. "You know, I've waited for this for a long time, Your Majesty." He stepped forward slowly, relishing in drawing out the suspense.

"Who are you?" Regina asked, confused. He took a final two steps forward and into the dim light, and with a couple more rapid blinks of her eyes, he was finally in her clear view. "You?"

"Hello, Your Majesty," he said with a smirk.

"Jefferson." Regina said and rested her head against the…rock? She looked around them once again, and could see they were not anywhere she recognized. "Where are we?" she demanded.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just know we're no longer in Storybrooke," he grinned deviously. He walked up to stand over her and rested a hand beside her head on the rock slab he had laid her upon. He leaned close, bringing their faces a foot apart. She eyed him pensively, trying to read his eyes. All she saw was hate.

"I was going to turn myself in. This is pointless, Jefferson," she told him firmly.

"I know. I've been keeping tabs on you, Regina." He smiled down at her for a moment before his face turned serious. "But you see," he leaned back and looked her up and down before meeting her eyes again, "even if they sentenced you to death, that'd still be too good for you." He saw her swallow a wave of nausea and a wicked smile appeared on his face. "I have other plans for you, Regina." He leaned forward again and brought his lips to rest near her ear. "I'm going to make you beg for death, you'll see." A small hitch in her breath was all it took for him to laugh menacingly and he leaned back up. She still looked at him with a firm gaze, but he could see the tremble in her hands. "Get some rest, Your Majesty, you'll need it." His face grew serious again and before she could say anything, she felt a hard blow to the side of her face and soon, the world around her disappeared into black.

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David held the open the door to Gold's pawnshop for Emma and Mary Margaret. He had a bad feeling about this, as Gold was never one to do favors for anyone out of the kindness of his heart. No, he and Mary Margaret knew that firsthand.

"Gold?" Emma called through the shop. "Gold?" She heard some movement out back and soon he emerged with his cane in hand.

"It's a bit early, and I haven't begun setting up to open, yet. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Gold asked. There was a hint of knowing in his voice, and it made Emma start to question if he had anything to do with Regina's disappearance.

"We need your help. Regina's in danger and we need you to help us find her." Emma cut to the chase.

Commotion outside caught everyone's attention and they could see the townspeople walking the streets confused and in need of guidance. "We'll go handle everything outside." David said and grabbed Mary Margaret's hand in his and led her away.

Emma and turned back to look at Gold. "Will you help?" she asked.

"How do you know she's in danger and didn't just take off?" There was a small smirk hidden in his features and Emma's blood started boiling.

"You had something to do with this?! Where is she, Gold?" Emma demanded and stepped into his personal space.

"I don't think threatening the Dark One is such a smart idea, Miss Swan. You don't even know how to use your powers. You'd lose the battle before it even begun," he warned. Emma stepped back a half a foot and glared at him. "Much better. Now, if you want my help in finding the queen, it's going to come with a price."

"What do you want, Gold?" Emma seethed.

"When the time is right, I'll come to you and have you make a special trip for me. You see, I gave Regina the curse, and part of the curse is that no one can leave town without consequence," he explained.

"But I broke it... Wouldn't that change things?" Emma asked.

"I'm afraid not. But that's not what's important right now. All you need to know is that you, Henry, and Regina are able to come and go freely as you wish, but the rest of us must stay."

"Regina can leave because she cast the curse, I take it?" Emma asked, trying to follow.

"Precisely. Now, I'll stay behind and fill in the blanks for Mary Margaret and David while you go and find Regina, as long as we have a deal?"

Emma looked at him pensively as he reached out his hand to shake hers. She knew she didn't have any other choice and that he was her best shot in finding Regina. "Okay," she shook his outstretched hand, "we have a deal. Now, how do I find her?"

Gold dropped her hand and turned around and motioned for her to follow. He led her through to the back of his shop and started to rummage through a cupboard. After finding what he needed, he turned and held out his hand before Emma.

"What is it?" she asked.

"This belonged to the queen. Once I enchant it with a locator spell, all you have to do it follow it and it'll lead you to her." He opened his hand revealed a locket. It was gold with intricate details carved into it, and it looked unlike anything she'd seen before. It looked fit for a queen. After a quick wave of his hand, he placed the locket into Emma's and turned to close the cupboard.

"Wait," Emma started, confused, "that's it?"

Gold turned around with a smirk on his lips. "What were you expecting? This isn't a movie, Miss Swan. Not all things are big and showy."

Emma frowned at the man before her. "Okay, I-" She was cut off when the locket seemed to leap out of her hands and her jaw dropped as she saw it move through the store before her very eyes.

"You might want to catch up with it, Miss Swan, it won't wait for you." Gold encouraged her on.

"Right, thanks," Emma said and followed it out of the shop and through town.

Gold limped over to a small chest sitting on a table and opened it. He sighed, reached his hand in and retrieved a small, wooden toy. He looked at it with determination. "I'll see you soon, Bae."

* * *

Ice cold water was dumped onto Regina, causing her to wake with a shriek. "Time to wake up, Your Majesty!" Jefferson's voice came boisterously. Regina sputtered as he dumped more water on her, not caring to miss her face. She choked and tried moving her face away from the water. "Oh!" he exclaimed, "you're awake! Hello, dear," he smiled down at her as she coughed and tried to catch her breath. When she was done coughing, she laid there soaked to the bone and freezing.

"Was that really necessary?" Regina asked in between deep breaths. She glared up at him, but was thankful that wherever they were was still dark, as her head throbbed from when he hit her before.

"Hm, I thought so," he said with a noncommittal shrug. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" He clasped his hands together and pressed them to his mouth as he paced back and forth exuberantly. "Oh!" he exclaimed and moved to stand in front of her. "How rude of me. This is no way to treat a queen," he mockingly scolded himself and untied Regina's arms and legs. "How's that, Your Majesty?" she smiled.

Regina looked up, studying him, and saw the crazed look in his eyes. This man had truly lost his mind. Her body ached as she sat up and she scurried away from him and around to the opposite side of the rock slab.

"You've had your fun, Jefferson." Regina said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Now, let me go."

Jefferson laughed. "Now, why would I do such a thing?" he asked as he stalked closer to her.

"I'm trying here. Don't make me hurt you." Regina warned and lifted a hand to conjure a fireball. When it didn't appear, she looked at her hand in confusion.

Another laugh came from Jefferson and she looked up at him. "Technical difficulties, Your Majesty?" The grin on his face was predatory and she moved backward as he advanced on her. Her arms fell to her sides and she began to panic. She tried looking around for an escape route in vain. "You see, when I drugged you the other night, I had a little help. Let's say someone owed me a favor and enchanted the cloth with a magic binding spell."

"G-Gold?" Regina stuttered, the cold making her jaw chatter.

"Mhm! Good guess! You see, he brought you into my life and you shattered it," he explained. Regina bumped into a wall behind her and he closed the gap between them. He looked into her eyes and heard her swallow hard. "Now I'm going to return the kindness." Her eyes grew wide at his menacing grin. " _Run_ ," he whispered. His laughter filled the air when Regina bolted left into the dark, and after giving her a head-start he took off after her.

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Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know your thoughts! Xo.


	15. Chapter 15

Thank you for all the support, everyone! Enjoy! Xo.

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The locket had taken Emma through the streets of Storybrooke and deep into the woods. She was growing tired and thirsty, but, nevertheless pushed through the obstacles. When the locket came to an open clearing several minutes later, she saw the only thing in her path was a well and the locket dropped before it. Confusion screwed up her face when she peered down and didn't see anything. "Regina!" she yelled. Nothing. She knelt down and secured the locket around her neck with a sigh and leaned against the well. After catching her breath she turned around and saw the rope ladder. "Here goes nothing," she said to no one, and carefully descended down into the cold, damp darkness.

* * *

Regina ran for what seemed like hours and her already weak, tired body was protesting against her unwaveringly. Running through the dark wasn't an easy thing to do, especially when you had no idea where you were. She had fallen over uneven surfaces several times and ran into countless walls, scrapes and bruises not doubt marring her skin. Her muscles were aching and she noticed she hadn't heard Jefferson for a little while, so she leaned against the next wall she found, and took the smallest breather before running again.

'Surely there has to be a way out of here,' she thought. 'If I just keep running, maybe…' Her thoughts were stalled as she surged forward and fell to the ground after tripping again. This time, she felt the crunching of bones in her left leg and it took all her willpower to not scream. Hot tears poured from her eyes as she clutched her leg in agony and she started to panic. 'What am I going to do now?' she thought frantically. She tried moving to her feet a moment later, failing miserably and fell to the ground once more. That's when she heard shuffling feet coming towards her. They grew slower as they approached. A chuckle broke through the darkness and the sickening sound nearly made her vomit.

"Reeegiiiinaaaaa," came his tantalizing call. His voice filled the area and bounced off of all the walls, making it impossible for her to distinguish how close he was. "I can hear you breathing, Your Majesty. What's wrong? Tired?" he questioned. "Or did you just give up?"

Regina tried to calm her breathing and swallowed the pain. She didn't dare move for fear he would hear the dirt below her grind under her weight.

After lying on the ground in silence for long several minutes, she couldn't hear him anymore and wondered if he was gone. She reached down into herself and mustered all of the strength she had and moved to get up onto her right leg. So far, so good. She placed both hands on the ground before her, tucked her leg underneath herself, and just as she was about to push herself into a standing position, she was airborne again. Arms around her waist lifted her into the air and she thrashed around trying to break free. Tears started falling again and she started to scream, but a hand clasped over her mouth muffling the sound.

"Found you," Jefferson cackled and threw her over his shoulder.

"Let me go!" Regina pleaded, sending futile punches into his back one after another. She was too weak for them to have any effect on him and she soon realized it. Sobs of defeat and exhaustion wracked her body as he carried her through the passageways back to the makeshift room he had her in before.

"Those tears won't work on me," Jefferson stated as he laid her back down onto the rock slab she had previously occupied. Her sobs quieted as she watched him tie her back up as she had been before, soft hiccups taking their place. "You did this to yourself. You know, not even the years of madness I suffered in your mother's realm could even begin to touch the suffering you've caused me. And let me tell you, though you probably already know, that woman is a psycho," he said smiling and twirled his finger up by his temple, "absolutely koo-koo." He looked down at her and traced his finger along the dirty scuff marks on her cheeks.

"Don't touch me!" Regina snarled and whipped her face away from him.

Jefferson tutted at her outburst and shook his head. "You really should try being nicer to people, Regina. I mean," he reached behind her head to the floor and lifted a water bottle over her face and started to open it, "you never know when that person could make your day," he took a long swig of it and she felt her dehydrated body subconsciously lean towards it, "or break it," he finished, recapping the bottle and placing it back on the floor. Regina fell back against the rock slab once more and closed her eyes, trying to remain calm.

Jefferson's movements caused her eyes to open again and she noticed he seemed to be bent over rummaging through something. When he stood back up, she tried to remain calm, but couldn't help her eyes from widening and her heart from racing. In his hand was a makeshift branding tool and the expression he wore made bile rise in her throat.

"Now, I can't promise this will be as rewarding for you as it will be for me, but it is what it is, right? You never gave anyone else the option of opting out of a torture session of yours." He walked up to one of the torches lighting the room from a far wall on her right and began heating up the tool.

"J-Jefferson, you don't have to do this," Regina swallowed. "The curse is broken… Your little girl knows you're her father now. You can be together again." When he didn't answer, she tried again. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, I really am. I-"

"You're SORRY?!" he exclaimed turning around. He was in front of her again in the blink of an eye, the now flaming red brander in his hand. Regina audibly gulped, looking back and forth between him and the brander. "You're sorry? Sorry doesn't even begin to cut it, Your Majesty. You see, when you LEFT me in your mother's realm, my daughter thought I had abandoned her. She thought that I had chosen a different life, an easier one." He turned around and moved back to the torch and continued his task and let out a chuckle. "Yeah, the curse broke. I saw her just before you cast that curse. And you know what?" he looked back to her and she waited for him to continue. "She won't even look at me, Regina. She wants nothing to do with me." He shook his head and walked away from the torch. "And it is your fault," he said deeply and lowered the brander to her side.

Regina's screams reverberated through the room down the passageways. When he lifted the tool away from her, she shrunk away from him as best as she could and cried. He walked around to the other side of the room and rummaged once again for something else. She couldn't help but look up. When he turned back around she saw him walk back into the light and hang a hooked chain from the ceiling. Her eyes widened as he walked over to her and lifted her up off the slab. She tried fighting against him again in vain and he hung her on the hook by her wrists.

Looking at his work, he shook his head. "Nope, not high enough," he said. He moved behind her and pulled the chain taut and she lifted higher. Her legs dangled an inch above the ground and the strain on her burn coupled with her leg pain was making her stomach roll. "Better," he smiled. "I'll be right back, Your Majesty," he bowed and walked into the dark.

As soon as he was gone, she desperately tried to free her wrists from their binding. It was no use. She only grew more exhausted and it angered the burn on her side. 'What am I going to do?' she asked herself. She knew that in the end, her life would be taken. She didn't really plan on living after the curse broke anyway. She had been sentenced to death once before, why wouldn't she be again? The difference between the Charmings and Jefferson, though, is that they would have made it quick. They wouldn't have tortured her. It wasn't in their nature. Jefferson, on the other hand, well, there was a reason he had been dubbed 'The Mad Hatter."

Regina hung her head in defeat. There was no way out of this. Jefferson had said they weren't in Storybrooke anymore, so no one would be able to find her, even if they tried. She continued to hang there, crawling inside of herself like she had done so many times before when her mother thought she needed to teach her daughter a lesson. Not even the shuffling of feet brought her head up when they entered the room.

"Regina?" came a whisper.

'I must really be losing it,' Regina thought to herself. 'Emma couldn't be here, you fool,' she scolded.

"Regina!" her name was called more firmly.

"Wha… Emma?" Regina whispered and lifted her head. Walking quietly to her was the blonde haired sheriff. Tears of relief poured down her cheeks. "Emma," she cried quietly.

"I'm going to get you out of here," Emma promised.

"How- how did you get here?" Regina asked as Emma started to work at the knot binding Regina's wrists.

"I had a little help from Gold and this," Emma said and lifted Regina's locket from between her breasts and into Regina's eyesight. She busied herself with the knot again.

"I don't have my powers. Gold helped him," Regina explained tiredly.

"Save your energy, Regina. I'll need your help getting out of here when we-"

"Emma!" Regina's eyes were round with fear, "behind you!"

Jefferson charged at Emma before she could fully turn around and blasted her in the back of the head with a large piece of wood. Regina's screams were the last thing she saw and heard before darkness engulfed her.

* * *

Cliffhanger, I know. Please don't be mad!  
Also, I know the whole Jefferson/his daughter bit doesn't follow the show. I never meant for it to. The timeline is just set before the curse breaks. Just putting it out there!  
Reviews are very much welcomed, and I'd love to know what your thoughts are! Thanks for reading! Xo.


	16. Chapter 16

Oh my gosh… I'm so sorry it took me this long to update. I had a hard time writing this chapter. Something kept me from it and I didn't want to just put something out there that I didn't like… I hope you understand! I'm going to try and update again this week.

Also, sorry if there are any mistakes! No Beta, so all of them are my own!

I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please review and let me know! Xoxo.

* * *

"This is just too good," Jefferson laughed. "You know," he moved to hover over Emma and just looked at her as he spoke, "I didn't think anyone would come to your rescue, especially the savior. But," he looked up into Regina's fearful eyes, "it seems clear to me that she means a lot to you. I can use this to my advantage," he grinned maliciously looking back down at the blonde. He reached his hand out to move hair from her face to study her more clearly.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" Regina shouted, venom dripping from her words.

"Ah," he gleamed up at the brunette, "there's that fire again, the one I've been trying to snuff out." He stood up and walked to stand before Regina. She stared him in the eye with a death glare. "You are in no position to be making demands, nor could you stop me even if you tried. You're POWERLESS."

Regina struggled against the restraints again to try and free herself as his face once again grew serious. She watched with fearful eyes as he lifted Emma's unconscious body and rested her on the rock slab. A small whimper came from Regina as he started tying Emma's wrists and ankles together, frustrated with herself for being so weak.

"So, change of plans! I'll be right back!" he jumped and turned excitedly back into the dark, disappearing.

"Emma," Regina whispered, her chest heaving, a mixture of sweat, tears, and dirt dripping down her face. "Emma," this time louder, "you have to wake up. Please," she begged. With no response, Regina hung her head and closed her eyes in defeat. If it already wasn't bad enough that she was in this position, now Emma was in danger and the thought caused a lump to form in her throat. Quiet sobs shook through her body. What was going to happen to Henry? He's not even in the town he grew up in and knows…

Why couldn't she have just stayed with Henry? She was so stubborn! Regina brought her eyes to Emma's face, anger and pain pouring from her gaze; she wanted to be angry with the savior for not listening. It didn't take long for the anger to seep out of her, though. Emma's stubbornness was one of the things that attracted her to the blonde, just as much as it angered her; after twenty eight years of monotonous living, the challenges Emma brought to her life were welcomed, even when she didn't want to admit it. A sad smile graced Regina's lips and she wanted nothing more at this moment than to be lying on the rock slab with Emma in her arms (given their current predicament.)

Footsteps coming closer brought Regina back to the present and soon she saw Jefferson walking back up to her with an arsenal of different torture devices. Bile rose in her throat as she saw his evil grin.

"Let's begin, shall we?" He dropped everything at Regina's feet and gazed down, pondering on which to use first. With an excited grin, he grabbed a pair of pliers from the middle of the pile and stood face to face with the queen. The wide eyes that stared back at him made a chuckle erupt from within him. Regina tried to move away from his grasp in vain as he reached for her jaw, and soon screams and manic laughter filled the passageways.

* * *

When Emma came to, she was confused and it took her several moments to figure out where she was. It was dimmer than before when she first entered the room, one torch now being the only source of light. She looked around and the sight that greeted her nearly caused her to vomit.

"Regina!" she shouted as she struggled against her restraints; when that proved useless, frustrated tears pooled in her eyes. "Regina," a soft whimper escaped her lips.

Regina hung from the chain in the middle of the room. Dried blood trailed from her bruised, cut up face, drops of crimson liquid trickling from her slightly opened mouth to the floor. Her clothes were torn and stained with blood and dirt, a deep purple and black bruise wound its way around her neck, and there was a copious amount of blood pooled on the ground below her feet. Emma held her breath, praying to anyone and everyone she could that Regina was alive. She didn't release the breath until she saw the slight rise and fall of Regina's chest, and noticed that her breaths were coming much slower that they should.

Emma tore her eyes away from Regina's body and stared up at the ceiling. She wished she had practiced magic before coming down here; she didn't even know where to begin to free herself. 'The book says that magic is tied to your emotions. You need to focus on what you want to happen and feel,' she remembered Henry saying on their way to Boston. With a slow, deep breath, Emma closed her eyes and pictured the restraints on her wrists coming loose and soon undone. A surprised gasp escaped her lips when her arms were no longer bound and she rubbed the sore skin there for a moment to bring the circulation back.

With newfound hope, she sat her aching body up and untied her ankles and massaged them for only a moment before getting up. The room spun upon standing, but after taking a steadying breath, she rushed over to stand before Regina. Her breath got caught in her throat at seeing Regina's face up close; the bruises and cuts were much worse than she had seen from further away in the poor light. She brought her hand up and ran a finger carefully down Regina's cheek. "Regina," she whispered. "Regina, please wake up." A soft groan was the only response she received. Regina still didn't move, nor did she open her eyes. "Hey, let's get out of here," Emma tried again.

Regina's eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to force herself into consciousness. "Em…ma." Her eyes remained closed, but her breathing quickened slightly.

"I'm here, Regina. I'm going to get you down now. I'm sorry if this hurts." Emma untied Regina's restraints and braced her body against her own. With an arm secured around Regina's waist, she looked around for something she could use to light her way through the passageways.

"Jeff-jefferson…" Regina's panicked voice sounded.

"I'm not going to let him hurt you again, I promise." Emma said and walked them slowly over to the torch and grabbed it. She heard Regina's breath catch and her whimpers with each movement. "I'm sorry, I… I don't know how to heal you… If that's even a thing." Emma said as she walked Regina through the room and down through the first passageway.

"If I make it out of this…that will be lesson one. Henry can't s-see me like th-this."

"You're going to be okay, Regina."

"You don't kn-know that. Even if we es-scape this…your parents…"

"Stop talking like that. I'm never letting anyone hurt you ever again." Emma tried keeping her voice stern and convincing even though she was falling apart inside. Regina was in bad shape; she doubted the queen knew how bad things were and she wanted to keep it that way for now. They needed to focus all of their energy on getting out of there.

"I'm so tired," Regina's whisper was barely heard and soon her body went limp against Emma's.

"Regina!" Emma whispered frantically and secured her grip on her so she wouldn't fall. When Regina failed to wake up, Emma carefully hoisted her unconscious body into her arms and still somehow managed to hold onto the torch. She struggled carrying her through each passageway, not that Regina was heavy, but her head was still throbbing and she grew dizzy from time to time, leading Emma to the conclusion that she had a concussion. She couldn't stop, though; she had to keep going. After what seemed like eternity, Emma finally spotted the small cavern that housed the rope ladder. Relief and anticipation flooded her veins and suddenly she took off in its direction. "We're almost there, Regina! Hang on!" she whispered.

After reaching the cavern, Emma gently laid Regina down on the ground and tucked the torch in a holder on the wall. She knelt down to the queen's side, relieved to see that she was still breathing. "Regina, wake up. I need your help." Emma gently caressed her face and was grateful to see eyes fluttering and soon gazing back up at her.

"Where are we?" Regina asked, dazed.

"We're getting out of here. I need you to try to lift yourself up the ladder, Regina. I'll push you, but I can't do it alone."

Violent coughs tore through Regina's body and blood sputtered from her lips and onto Emma's face. Emma stared down shocked and afraid, and scooped the woman into her arms. When Regina's body finally relaxed, she looked down into her eyes.

"Sorry." Regina's chest was heaving, and Emma could hear the fluid in her lungs.

"Don't be," Emma gave her a watery smile.

"Let's get out of here," Regina wheezed, doing her best to pull herself up. She tried balancing herself on her right leg and with Emma's help, managed to get three steps up the ladder.

"You're doing great," Emma encouraged her.

"Yes, you're doing fabulous," came a dark voice from behind them.

Emma whipped around and saw Jefferson clipping night vision goggles to his belt loop.

"Emma," Regina gasped, losing her balance at Emma's movement and nearly fell to the ground before Emma caught her and carefully lowered her down.

"I'm surprised you're still alive, Your Majesty." Jefferson stalked closer.

"Stay back, Jefferson," Emma warned. "Let us go, and you can live."

Jefferson laughed, never taking his eyes from Emma's. "I don't care if I live or die. And what are you going to do about it, 'Savior'?" He continued to advance on them and Emma started to feel the panic rise in her. Jefferson laughed again, now only a foot away from the pair. "That's what I thought. Nothing."

Jefferson lunged at Emma, knocking her to the ground, and straddled her. Emma kicked and threw punches as he wrapped his hands around her neck, finding it hard to breathe. Regina tried to get him off of her, but he reared back and threw an elbow to the side of her face and she crumpled to the floor, unmoving.

"Regina!" Emma gasped frantically. Her vision was starting to greyscale from lack of oxygen and tears poured from her eyes. 'Focus, Emma,' she heard Henry's voice in her head. 'You can do it.'

Just before blackness overtook her, she started to feel a warm, tingly sensation vibrate through her body. Then it started to get brighter in the room somehow. Soon the hands around her neck started to loosen and she stared up into disbelieving, shocked eyes.

"What the hell?" Jefferson jumped back and put some distance between them.

Emma stood, a glowing golden light radiating from her. Her eyes were glittery, golden pools as she stared at Jefferson.

"I warned you to let us go, Jefferson," Emma tutted, shaking her head in disappointment. She stalked up to him, balls of white fire forming in her hands. Jefferson stumbled backwards and tripped over an uneven surface.

"P-please," Jefferson begged.

"Too late." Emma raised her hands, the white fire growing bigger, hotter.

"Emma, don't." Regina's soft voice broke through. Emma looked over to the brunette who was struggling to sit up.

"Regina." Emma dissolved the fireballs and moved to help her.

"He's not worth it." Regina breathed heavily from the exertion.

Emma, eyes still glowing, threw a death glare at the man who still lay on the ground. "If you EVER come near us ever again, you're done. Leave Storybrooke and never return." Emma's voice was deeper than usual, almost as if she weren't in control of herself. Jefferson nodded, pale as a ghost, urine surrounding him in a pool.

"Emma," Regina placed a hand to her cheek, "let's go home."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a little longer than usual. Like I said, I hope to update again this week! Please review! Xoxo.


	17. Chapter 17

Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites!  
Quick reminder: The show and characters are not mine!  
Also: All mistakes are my own. I apologize if there are a lot!  
Happy reading! Xoxo.

* * *

After reaching the top of the well, Emma carefully helped Regina out and gently rested her against it. She knelt in front of her with one hand on the stone base trying to keep herself steady. Exhausted didn't even come close to how the savior was feeling.

"I need to get you to the hospital." Emma took in Regina's pale face, noticing the queen was looking worse as each minute passed.

Regina shook her head softly in protest. "No," her body started trembling with anxiety, "the curse broke. They'll all want me dead, anyway."

"Damn it!" Emma cursed. Regina closed her eyes at the outburst, but not before seeing the pained look of fear in the blonde's eyes. Emma stood up, her muscles screaming at her, and started to pace slowly. A minute of wracking her brain passed before she heard a sigh come from the queen.

"It's okay, Emma." Regina said tiredly, eyes still closed.

Emma stopped mid-step and looked back at her. "No," she moved to kneel in front of the brunette once more, "you're not giving in, Regina. That's not who you are." Emma finished adamantly.

"I'm so tired," Regina said barely above a whisper. "So tired." A single tear escaped and made its way down her cheek.

"You can't give up, Regina. We'll find a way." Emma's heart was in her throat. "Teach me. Tell me how to heal you," she begged.

Regina slowly opened her watery eyes and looked into the pleading, green oceans of Emma's. She gave her a small smile, "You're exhausted, Emma. The amount of energy it requires is too much."

"But you said-"

"That was before your magic had a mind of its own down there. I can see what it took from you…" Regina protested, closing her eyes again.

"I don't care! I'm not letting you die!" Emma exclaimed emotionally. She tried forcing away the tears that threatened to fall.

"Emma," Regina opened her eyes again, "healing someone requires you to give part of yourself to heal that person." Her breaths were deep in between sentences. "My injuries…" she paused a moment to look over herself and back up at Emma, "they're too severe for you to heal now. You're inexperienced and already weak from earlier. You might not survive it. I can't take that chance…" She started violently coughing again, the blood staining her lips. Her chest was heaving with each breath she took.

Emma moved forward and carefully took the brunette into her arms, leaning herself against the well. She cradled her for several moments and soon the coughing ceased. After feeling the brunette relax into her, the dams that held the tears back burst and they silently flowed down her cheeks. They sat there in silence for a minute, savoring each other's presence. When the brunette tilted her head up, Emma met her eyes.

"I need you to do me a favor," Regina paused, clearing her throat. "Will you tell Henry that I love him? Tell him that it's not his fault; tell him that he saved me." Her chin started to tremble, followed by more tears. "Never let him give up hope…" She tilted her head back down and closed her eyes as the tears continued.

"I'll…uh," Emma cleared her throat, "I'll tell him." She felt Regina nod her head against her chest. Emma sighed through her own tears. "This isn't fair… I don't want to lose you…" She rested her chin on Regina's head, holding her a little tighter.

"You'll be…okay, Emma…" Regina whispered faintly. Emma felt her body start to go slack in her arms and she started to panic.

"No, no, no. Regina," she gently laid the queen onto the ground, and cupped her face in her hands, "please…" she begged.

"Tell Henry…" Regina's breathing slowed.

"Regina," Emma shook her shoulders gently. When Regina didn't respond, a choked sob escaped Emma's lips and she ran a hand through her messy blonde curls. With a sniffle, she leaned down close to her face. "Regina, I…I love you," she whispered. Her eyes fluttered shut and closed the distance between them, placing a soft kiss to Regina's lips.

Another sob escaped as she leaned back a few inches and she gently ran a hand through limp, brown locks. Her hand came to rest against Regina's cheek and that's when she felt it- the tingling sensation and the warmth- start coursing through her veins. Her eyes widened in shock as the golden light started to glow through her body and pooled into her hands. She felt the magic seeping out of her and watched as it took residence inside of the brunette. After a moment, she finally realized what was happening and placed her other hand on Regina's chest above her heart. "Please…come back to me." Emma's golden, watery eyes watched for any movement, seconds feeling like hours.

"Mmnnn…" A low groan, barely perceptible, resonated from Regina's lips.

"Regina?!" Emma kept her hands where they were as the magic was still coming forth. "Just stay still; don't move." The blonde smiled in relief as she saw color start to return to Regina's face and the cuts and bruises started to fade. Soon, brown eyes fluttered open and met the golden eyes above her.

"Emma…" Regina started to sit up with the blonde's help. "What did you do?"

Emma was smiling brightly and pulled the brunette into a solid embrace. "My magic…it just…it took over again. I don't know how. It was like before."

Regina hugged her back tightly, then realized once Emma's magic high disappeared, the blonde could be in trouble. She pulled back reluctantly from the warm arms that held her.

"How are you feeling?" Emma asked as she looked into her eyes.

Regina watched as gold slowly turned back into green, and pink cheeks slowly turned pale. "I'm okay. Emma, sit back." Regina helped her lean against the well once more.

"I'm okay, just tired." It was Emma's turn to breathe deeply. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine." She willed a smile onto her face.

Regina sat in front of the blonde and held her hands. "I really need to teach you how to control your magic…" she tried for lightheartedness.

"You will." Emma stated. "I just need a nap." Emma's eyes closed and she started to lie down. Regina moved to sit against the well just in time for Emma's head to rest on her legs.

"Okay," Regina whispered, smoothing blonde locks in a soothing manner. She watched as Emma tucked her legs close to her body in a fetal position and smiled sadly as a trembling arm reached up and wrapped itself around her torso. "I've got you." Regina soothed.

* * *

Emma woke up to a blaring pain in the back of her head. She winced as she tried to move, but soon realized that there was a warm body pressed up against her back and she had an arm draped around her waist. She opened her eyes and took in the room. It was dimly lit, the walls were made of stone, and it had a very different century type feeling to it. She slowly turned underneath the arm and came face to face with the sleeping queen. Emma couldn't help but smile at the slight pout that was playing on the full, red lips and watched as her eyebrows twitched in her sleep. She took note that Regina was no longer covered in dirt, blood, and tears, and that she had changed her clothes.

"Regina," Emma whispered, raising a hand and running her fingers through silky brown hair, "hey."

Regina's eyebrows furrowed again, and soon her eyes fluttered opened. A smile graced her lips as soon as she took in the blonde's smiling face and moved to snuggle closer. "Hey, yourself," came Regina's sleepy voice.

Emma welcomed Regina's warmth and wrapped an arm securely around her as the brunette rested her head against her shoulder. "Where are we? How did we get here?" Emma asked quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment.

"When you healed me, you apparently gave me my magic back, too. Not too long after you fell asleep on my lap, I felt its presence again. I brought us to the only place I could think of that no one would be able to find me- my family's mausoleum. I placed a protection spell on it for while we rested."

Emma nodded and looked down to see worry etched on Regina's face. "Hey, you okay?"

Regina sighed. "One battle won, another to face…" she responded quietly.

Emma thought for a moment as to what she could be talking about when it dawned on her. "My parents…" She felt Regina nod in response. "We'll take care of it, Regina… We'll show them you're not who you used to be. It'll be okay."

"It's not that easy, Emma. And I've already told you, I'm ready to take responsibility for what I've done to everyone." Her tone was harder and she rolled away from Emma and sat up.

"What do you mean? Don't you think you've suffered enough?!" Emma sat up and brought Regina's face to look at her, but Regina wouldn't meet her eyes. "Look at me!" she all but shrieked. Regina frowned but returned her gaze. "I just…I mean…I just got you back," she said quietly.

Regina's face softened and she scooted closer and enveloped the blonde in her arms. "This isn't your fight, Emma. It's mine," she sighed and turned her face into the blondes' neck.

"I came back for you. You're not doing this alone." Emma held Regina closer.

A small smile played on Regina's lips. "You're just as stubborn as your parents," she gave a small chuckle and placed a soft kiss on Emma's neck.

Emma's cheeks flushed at the contact and she felt Pterodactyl-sized butterflies flutter in her stomach. "Well, I'm hoping that we're enough alike that they'll see what I see."

'Me, too,' Regina said inside her head. Sure, she was ready to accept the ultimate punishment if they saw it fit, but she didn't WANT to die.

"Listen, why don't you call Henry?" Emma offered up and sat back. She removed her phone from her pocket and found her old boss' number in her contacts. "I'm sure he'll want to talk to you." She handed Regina her phone. "I'm going to run into town and see my parents to arrange a meeting."

"No, Emma, I-" Regina started to protest.

"Please, just let me help."

Regina sighed and nodded. "Okay." She looked to the phone in her hands, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Go on," Emma smiled. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek and stood up. "I'll be back."

Regina looked up and returned the smile with a nod. "Okay." She turned back to the phone, excitement building in her stomach.

Emma started walking away and her grin grew wider at hearing the happiness in Regina's voice when Henry answered. She would make this right; she would fix everything. She had to.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I really wanted to post again this week for you guys for the long delay before. For those of you who celebrate tomorrow, Happy Thanksgiving! Please review! Xoxo.


	18. Chapter 18

The air was thick with tension, no one knowing where they should start. The stakes seemed different this time, Mary Margaret and David noticed, as their daughter was…fond of the Evil Queen. Neither dared to ask details, but knew that Emma was willing to put up a fight if needed.

Emma clasped her hands in front of her, warily looking back and forth between her two parents. She was hoping for one of them to open this discussion, but it looked like they were more nervous about the outcome than she was. Finally, when she was about to speak up after several minutes of silence, she heard a sigh come from her right.

"Let's get this going, shall we?" Regina piped up.

David cleared his throat and sat up a bit straighter in his seat. "Yes, we should. Snow?" He asked his wife.

Snow. That was something Emma was still getting used to. That and the fact that she had parents. Parents that were her age. Parents that were from another land… Emma looked to her mother as David…Charming had offered for her to start. With all eyes on her, Snow fidgeted in her seat and offered a small, nervous smile.

"Well, I'm not sure where to begin, exactly…" Snow looked Regina in the eyes, "So much has happened… Regina, you know that we're not going to just be able to look the other way on this. The community is looking to us to bring justice for what has happened to them. Our lives were ripped away from us, you banished us to-"

"Please, I know what has been done; I cast the curse, after all." Regina's nerves were getting the better of her. She knew that she wasn't in any position to be hostile, especially when her fate rested in their hands. She felt a hand move to her knee under the table, and looked to Emma. The blonde gave her a weak smile, but the contact alone was reassuring to the former queen.

Snow and Charming looked to each other; Emma's actions hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Sorry," Regina apologized, which drew the Charming's attention back to her, "I shouldn't have snapped. Continue, please." Regina offered.

Snow cleared her throat and rested her hands together in a tight clasp on her lap. "I know that the circumstances are different this time… You are our grandson's adoptive mother, and you have somehow gained friendship from our daughter. Those things alone grant you your life… But punishment is needed…" Snow chewed over what to say next, but came up empty.

"If I may…" Emma chimed in, reclaiming her hand. Regina instantly missed the contact, her anxiety already coming back.

"Of course," Charming answered. He was eager to hear from his daughter.

"I know that there is a history between you all. There is so much to it that I don't think I'll ever know the full story… But from what I gather, the things that Regina has done in the past are terrible." Emma looked to Regina, who wore a look of guilt and shame, and then back to her parents. "And I know that's saying it lightly. But the woman next to me is not the same person you knew before. It's complicated and I know you will have a hard time seeing it, but I just need you to trust me. I'm…your daughter." She saw her parents look at each other and could see the wheels turning in their heads. "I had a couple of suggestions, if you don't mind..." Emma waited nervously.

"What do you think we should do?" Snow asked.

"Well, things in this world are very different. Punishments even have rules, and in a lot of states the death penalty isn't used. But what I suggest is that she no longer continues her role as Mayor of Storybrooke, house arrest for however long you see fit, and afterward, community service." She winced and hunched her shoulders slightly, hoping that her parents would agree to her terms.

Regina started bouncing her foot underneath the table and felt her hands get clammy.

Charming was the first to speak. "What about her magic? I know you trust her, Emma, but she's still dangerous in our eyes. You have to understand that." Snow nodded her agreement.

Emma looked at Regina and held her gaze. She hadn't thought of that one. "Would you be willing to let her keep it only for the sole purpose of her teaching me how to get my magic under control?" When Regina's eyes told her that she was okay with it, Emma looked back to her parents.

"How do we know she won't use it for any other reasons?" Snow questioned.

"My superpower…" Emma turned back to Regina. "Do you promise that you will only use your magic for good and in teaching me?" Green eyes searched brown.

"You have my word." Regina complied.

"She's telling me the truth." Emma stated to her parents with a small smile. "If she were lying, I'd know it."

Charming sighed and sat back in his seat. "What do you think, Snow?"

Snow held Regina's gaze and studied her. The woman before her was struggling to keep her composure. That alone told her that Regina was in at least some way different. The old Regina had so many walls; she would never show her vulnerable side. At least, not since Daniel had been killed. What made her change? She then looked to her daughter. Emma looked every bit as determined as she herself used to be back in the Enchanted Forest. She was strong willed and seemed so sure about this. What did she see in the former queen?

With a small sigh, Snow nodded once. "I think we should agree to Emma's terms." She looked to her husband. "For now." She added.

Relief flooded through Regina's veins and she visibly relaxed before the Charming family.

"But," Snow started, and looked directly at Regina, "the terms are subject to change if you mess up. And the punishments will then be made by us." Snow's voice was stern, and Emma felt taken aback. She was so different from her Mary Margaret persona… Sure, she could still see that part of her, but Snow was bolder, stronger, more sure of herself. Emma could see the royalty in her.

Regina nodded carefully. "Thank you," she said quietly. She felt a hand on her knee again and turned to look at Emma who wore the biggest grin she had ever seen on the blonde. It was impossible for her to not return a smile, but she kept herself in check knowing the Charmings were still watching her.

"Emma," Charming gained his daughters attention, "please don't make us regret this."

"You won't." Emma smiled at her father.

* * *

Regina sat in her study collecting all of the paperwork she had left and put it into a box. She would have Emma bring it to her old office at some point.

Emma had dropped her off at the mansion about an hour ago to go get Henry. The empty, quiet house gave her the ability to process everything that had happened in the last week. She certainly had never seen any of this coming. Especially no longer being mayor. No longer having power. No longer having control.

As grateful as the brunette was that her life had been spared, she knew she was going to have a hard time adjusting to her new lifestyle. One doesn't simply go from controlling every aspect of the world they created to being the one controlled. She hoped that those around her would find it in their hearts to be patient with her.

A few hours later, Regina received a text from Emma saying that she and Henry were on their way back. With a look at the clock, she sighed. It was just after five in the evening and she had boxed up all of her old mayoral items, cleaned every inch of the downstairs part of the house, removed weeds from her garden, picked apples from her favorite tree, and put together an assortment of vegetables and a pot roast into the slow cooker for when they returned. What more could she do to pass her time?

While she stretched her tight muscles, she moved to the living room. Out of old habits, she had almost started a fire in the fireplace with her magic, but quickly remembered the agreement and did it the old fashioned way instead. When she completed her task, she found that she was actually more satisfied with the fire that roared to life than she used to be when she had done it magically. It was more rewarding.

On the coffee table in front of the couch sat an old novel that she had wanted to read before the savior had come into town, but it had since been left forgotten. With renewed interest, she grabbed the novel and a throw blanket and curled up on the couch. Finally feeling relaxed, she dove into the fictitious world and slowly began to forget all the troubles that plagued her mind.

She must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing she knew, she heard a door slam and footsteps quickly advancing towards her. Startled, she quickly sat up, the blanket and novel falling to the floor, and stood defensively with her arms close to her chest.

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed after appearing in the doorway. Relief took place of the fear Regina felt at seeing her son and an instant smile took over her face as he leaped into her waiting arms.

"Henry," she said tearfully, "I've missed you." He buried his face into her neck and wrapped his arms tight around her and she rested her cheek against the top of his head. Tears of happiness escaped her eyes as they held each other close for several minutes. Regina only looked up when she felt another presence in the room with them and gave a watery smile to the blonde.

"Hey," Emma said quietly, enjoying the scene in front of her.

"Hello." Regina replied, never letting go of their son. She saw the blonde shift uneasily from foot to foot in front of her and gave her a questioning look.

"I should probably head home," Emma answered just as quietly.

This broke Regina and Henry from their happy embrace and they both looked at her with confusion.

"You're not staying?" Henry was the first to ask.

Emma smiled apologetically at her son. "No, it's late and you need to sleep. I will come back in the morning, though, okay? I'll bring breakfast from Granny's," she offered.

"Wait," Henry started, even more confused, "things are still the same?"

Emma nodded, but with a shrug. "In some ways. Mary- Snow… told me that the town has agreed to continue their lives here as they were for the time being…until things get figured out."

"So I still have school?" Henry whined. This caused both of his mothers to laugh.

"Yes," Regina replied sternly. "Which you have in the morning. Come on, let's get you some dinner and then it's bedtime."

"Fine," Henry said begrudgingly and started to walk into the kitchen.

Regina started to follow him, but paused in front of the blonde who stood there waiting for their son to leave the room. "Do you really have to go?" Regina asked. "We have a spare room if that's what you're worried about…" Emma watched her shift nervously from foot to foot.

"Thank you," Emma took one of Regina's hands in hers to ease the tension, "but I hope you understand that there have been… a lot of changes and many things that I am still trying to wrap my head around. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I need something to feel normal right now." Emma saw the look of disappointment and rejection in Regina's eyes and the hand she held tried withdrawing from her grasp. Regina's gaze fell to the floor and she tried to step back, but Emma held her firm. "That's not what I mean, Regina. Please don't take it that way. It's just… this world isn't like the Enchanted Forest…" Emma tried finding the right words and smiled softly as she lifted Regina's chin with her finger and held her gaze. "I'd like for us to take this slow… We know that this is right; I'm not doubting that for a second. But, I'd uh…like to take you on a date." Emma said sheepishly and a blush crawled up her neck and rested in her cheeks. "In the backyard… A picnic." she added, remembering that Regina couldn't leave the house, yet.

Regina's own bashful smile formed and she took her bottom lip between her teeth. "Okay," she responded quietly, still looking into sea-green eyes.

"Come on, Mom! I'm starving!" Henry called from the kitchen.

Regina laughed and broke into a grin, and the pair walked to the front door.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning. I'll bring Henry to school." Emma said, smiling. Regina nodded in agreement and Emma watched as Regina fidgeted with her hands nervously. "Come here," Emma said softly and wrapped her arms around the brunette in a warm embrace. She felt Regina melt into her and she inhaled the scent of apples and cinnamon coming from her shampoo, instantly categorizing it as her new favorite smell. She pulled back slightly and when Regina tilted her head up to look at her, she captured full red lips in a sweet, gentle kiss. Regina's eyes fluttered closed, savoring the moment. When they broke apart, Emma smiled and rested her forehead against the brunette's.

"Tomorrow." Regina said quietly.

"Tomorrow."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Brought back some nice, fluffy moments for our two favorite ladies! I still have more planned for them, so if you want me to continue, please review! The more reviews, the merrier! Thank you for your continued support! Xoxo.


	19. Chapter 19

Thank you for all the reviews/follows/favorites! : ) Enjoy! Xo.

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Three days after her world became what would be her new normal, Regina was getting restless and anxious. There was only so much cleaning she could do and even though Henry would keep her busy after school, the hours alone were becoming unbearable. Emma tried her best keep the former queen positive about her situation, but as the seconds ticked by, Regina felt more and more on edge.

She stared at the clock in her study, listening to the second hand monotonously tick. Each tick was another nail on a chalkboard.

"I have to get out of here. I can't do this." Regina said aloud, still staring at the clock. She stood up and ran one hand through her hair and her other hand came to her mouth. She paced the floor of the study back and forth and felt like she was going to explode. With quick shakes of her head, she stormed off out of the study and moved to the front door. Just as she was about to take her leave, the door opened and the blonde sheriff stood before her. Emma's mouth fell open and her eyes grew wider at realizing what Regina had been about to do.

"What do you think you're doing?" Emma asked, not moving an inch.

Regina rolled her eyes, a habit she had unwillingly picked up from the blonde. "Nothing," she sighed as she turned and walked away sullenly. She didn't bother turning around when she heard Emma walk in and close the door.

"Regina, you know you can't leave yet…" Emma tried to reason.

"Yes, yes. I know," she whipped around and stared into green eyes.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked and tried to pull one of Regina's hands into hers. When the brunette pulled away, a confused pout formed on Emma's lips. "Regina, what's going on?"

"I can't do this, Emma. I can't stay here all day and all night. It's easier when Henry is here, or when you visit, but I seriously cannot stand another moment of silence in this place!" Regina burst, her cheeks reddening. She saw a smirk form on the blonde's lips and that nearly caused fire to burst from her ears. "This isn't funny, Emma!" Regina walked to stand in the blonde's personal space, venom dripping from her words.

Emma let out a small chuckle. "You don't scare me anymore, Regina." Emma took another step closer to her, not backing down and taking control of the situation. She reached up with one hand and ran it through silky brown locks, trying to sooth the former queen. Regina huffed in response and crossed her arms over her chest like a pouting child. When the brunette looked away from her, she guided those chocolate eyes back to her own. She only received a glare. Emma's smile faded slightly and she sighed. "Listen, I know this is new and different. It's going to take some time getting used to."

"It's been three days, Emma. Three. That's it! And I am already crawling out of my skin! How am I supposed to handle this indefinitely?" Regina threw her arms in the air and took a step back, spinning around to pace again.

Emma grabbed for her hand, this time capturing it and not letting go when she met resistance. "Stop… What can I do to help?" Her question was soft and calming, and Regina felt herself slowly starting to relax when the blonde began rubbing small circles in the palm of her hand.

Regina let out a sigh and stepped closer to the blonde, meeting her eyes. Emma gave her a careful smile, not wanting to eliminate the progress she'd made. "You could be here more." Regina finally said, barely above a whisper. Both knew what the words had implied. When she got no response, not even a change of expression from Emma, she looked to the floor and began to feel a sick feeling in her stomach. 'You shouldn't have said that, you fool. She just said a few days ago she needed normal and wouldn't even spend the night. What makes today any different?' she scolded herself internally.

Emma watched the emotions flickering over Regina's face, and saw her downturned lips. She saw the walls slowly start to go up, and she realized then that she'd not given a response. "Regina, I-"

"No," Regina pulled her hand free and took a step back. She pulled her hair behind her ear, still not meeting the blonde's eyes, "Forget I said anything."When she finally looked back up and met Emma's eyes, her composure was regained and the mayoral smile back in place. "I just had a weak moment. Forgive me." Regina turned and walked into the kitchen, leaving Emma alone.

When Emma finally regained her bearings, she followed the brunette into the kitchen. She watched as she busied herself with preparing dinner, moving fluidly but her posture was ramrod straight and tense. "Regina, don't do that. Don't pull away from me." This gained another mayoral smile from the frustrating woman.

"I'm fine." Regina wasn't fooling anyone.

"Please save us from this conversation, Regina. You know that I can read you better than that book Henry loves so much."

"Then you must not read very well at all." Regina deadpanned.

Emma rolled her eyes. Regina stopped what she was doing and sighed. When she looked back at the blonde, she could see the effect she was having on her and she started to feel guilty.

"I'm sorry… Just forget I said anything, though. I'm serious. I haven't forgotten that you're not ready to make this your home." Regina's words were quiet and held disappointment. "I'll be fine. Like you said, it'll just take some time to get used to."

"Regina…" Emma moved around the kitchen island to stand in front of her. "Listen, until I moved here to Storybrooke, I've never had a real home. I was either bouncing from one foster family to another, or when I got older I ran away from every problem I encountered…" She paused to find the right words. "This is still new to me, having a place to call home. I want to be with you, believe me. This is honestly the happiest time in my life…" She paused again and gently forced chocolate brown eyes to meet hers. "How about we start with a drawer?" Emma smiled softly as she spoke quiet words.

Regina looked back at her with a confused expression. "A drawer?"

Emma chuckled quietly. "Yes, a drawer. Something I can keep a change of clothes in, maybe a pair of pajamas, socks…for when I spend the night."

The look that greeted the blonde nearly took her breath away. Regina's eyes were sparkling and the smile she wore was mesmerizing. When Regina truly smiled, she glowed. She watched Regina pull her bottom lip between her teeth, biting it to try and quell her excitement a bit. "Okay," Regina replied, leaning closer to the blonde. Emma saw Regina look at her lips and when the distance between them closed, her eyes fluttered shut, welcoming the kiss.

It began as soft, small pecks of excitement coming forth, though it didn't take long for Regina to start needing more and she pressed her lips to Emma's more firmly. She felt a hand weave through her hair and a small hum escaped the back of her throat. She ran her tongue across pink lips, seeking entrance which was instantly granted. Emma sighed into the kiss and pressed into Regina more, pushing her against the counter. She felt the brunette giggle against her lips at the contact.

"Eager, are we?" the former queens sultry voice broke through. Regina recaptured Emma's lips again in a shorter, equally passionate, kiss.

Emma rested her forehead against Regina's when they required air and chuckled as she tried to catch her breath. She looked at the clock on the stove in front of her, taking note of the time. She sighed, "You know…if Henry wasn't going to be home soon…"

Regina pulled back and met Emma's eyes with a smirk. "What?" she challenged.

Emma leaned forward and pushed Regina's hair away from her ear with her nose, nuzzling closely. "I'd take you right here on the counter," she whispered in her ear, and gently took the brunette's earlobe between her teeth, nibbling lightly for a couple moments. She couldn't hold back the grin caused by the gasp that came from red, kiss swollen lips and at how Regina's body shivered against her. She pulled away and smiled as it took the former queen a few seconds to recover. Finally, when brown eyes met hers, she chuckled.

"You're such a tease," Regina scolded the blonde, which earned her another chuckle. She playfully pushed Emma away and tried to move around her. Arms quickly wound their way around her body and she couldn't say that she was disappointed. She melted into Emma's embrace, allowing herself to be enjoy the closeness.

* * *

The next day, Regina was outside picking apples in her back yard when she heard tires screeching to a stop outside her house. Curious, she placed the wicker basket down on the ground and made her way inside. She walked to the entryway and peered through a window next to the door. Puzzled, she opened the door with a scowl on her face.

"It's not very royal of you to a: be driving that piece of junk around, and b: to be causing that horrendous noise." Regina's glare was all she could throw at the pixie cut brunette that marched up the path to her porch.

"Well, I'm sorry. You didn't write my story with me knowing how to drive, and I do have to get around still." Snow threw back at the former queen. Even though her tone held annoyance, she still managed to sound sweet. It made Regina's stomach turn.

"To what do I owe this…pleasure?" Regina slightly scrunched her nose in distaste, arching a single, perfect eyebrow.

Snow sighed and clasped her hands in front of her. "When do you plan on teaching Emma how to control her magic?"

Regina's eyebrows furrowed, not sure why it was any of her business. "Listen, I have been sticking to the rules. It's been driving me insane, but I haven't used magic even once. The only time I am ever outside these walls is in my back yard… Why do you need to keep tabs on what little choices I have left?" Regina knew that she should still be very grateful to the woman before her, and she was, but no matter how much she was sorry for the awful things she'd done in the past, she still couldn't bring herself to like her.

Taking a calming breath, Snow replied, "You haven't seen my apartment, Regina. Emma has been practicing on her own time. This morning it was preparing a bowl of cereal. Regina…she blew it up! There was still frosted cheerios stuck to my ceiling when I left!" Snow felt herself getting worked up, and the smirk that appeared on the older woman's face wasn't helping. "Either you need to teach her how to manage her magic, or I need you to put a binding spell on her because I can't-"

"I'll speak with her tonight, okay?" Regina cut her off, tired of listening to her ramblings.

Snow huffed, but even that just looked like she was catching her breath. "Thank you." She paused a moment. "She's been spending a lot of time here, hasn't she?" Curiosity got the better of the younger brunette.

"Well, we do share a son," Regina replied, not willing to be the one to tell her. At least not alone. Sure, she'd love to see the look of horror on the mousy brunette, but she would rather have it come from her daughter.

"That's true. But you two have grown close. Maybe even friends." For the first time in a long time, Snow invaded the former queen's personal space, coming face to face with her. Regina didn't back down and held firm, a burning glare in her eyes. "If you hurt ever my daughter or my grandson, I'll make sure you never see the light of another day. Do I make myself clear?"

Regina gave her a wicked smirk. "Intimidation doesn't suit you, dear. But, rest assured, I have no plans to ever hurt either of them. Take note, though," Regina stepped a foot forward and it caused Snow to clumsily take a step back, "that I do not take threats very well." She saw a flash of fear flicker in Snow's eyes, but she quickly recovered and stood up straight, her chin held high.

"Remember who holds your future in their hands." With that, Snow turned and sauntered off back to Charming's truck.

Regina watched as the pixie cut brunette jerked the truck back onto the road, and shook her head. 'Today was going so well,' Regina thought to herself as she walked back outside to her apple tree. She lifted the wicker basket back up and peered inside. 'Just a few more.'

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this! I was going to continue this chapter, but if I did it would be obscenely long. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Thank you again for all of your support. Means so much to me! Xoxo.


	20. Chapter 20

Hello! I am so sorry for the long wait! Not only has my life been incredibly busy, but I have lacked the drive for writing. I wasn't sure how to go about my next chapter and in turn, it pushed me away from this fic. But after hearing a song that was recently released, I was inspired! So, without further ado, here is chapter 20! Xoxo.

* * *

'Henry will be with my parents after school. David wants to teach him some stuff from back in the Enchanted Forest, I guess. So I was thinking that maybe we could finally have that date?'

After reading the text, a smile formed on Regina's lips. It'd been a few days since Snow had come over begging for her to teach Emma how to control her magic, and since then, she and Emma had been working on that tirelessly. It didn't allow much room for their new relationship seeing how by the end of the night they were exhausted. Still, it had not been in vain as Emma was surprisingly learning much faster than either of them thought she was capable.

'I'd love to. I think we can spare a night of training.' Regina sent the text and looked at the clock. It was just after 1:30pm. 'How does 4 o'clock sound?' She sent.

'Perfect. See you then. Xx'

Regina's smile grew wider. She got up from her sofa and placed the novel she had been engrossed in onto the coffee table and stretched her sore limbs. Last night it was teleportation training and after Emma perfected it solo, Regina had her try it with both of them. That hadn't turned out well the first time, resulting in them crashing to the ground in the back yard after Emma's calculations ended up with them emerging on a limb of the apple tree.

With languid steps, Regina moved into the kitchen and began preparing homemade bread. Lately, while Henry was at school and Emma was at work she busied herself with baking new things. She was becoming less antsy with her new hobby, but she missed the outside world. The only other thing that made it easier for her being cooped up was knowing that the people outside her walls hated her and would make her days hell even just by stepping off of her front stairs.

After placing the bread dough in the oven, she began preparing an assortment of meats, cheeses, grapes, strawberries, and placed a slice of chocolate cream pie in a tupperware (the last item being for Emma, of course). Once all the items were in the wicker basket, she moved to her bedroom to change into something warmer. Sure, picnics were meant to be had during spring and summer months, but nothing about their relationship had been normal thus far, so why start now?

Time seemed to crawl while waiting for 4pm to roll around and even though they had seen each other every day since Emma rescued her, she still felt butterflies in her stomach. The anticipation of hugging her close and breathing in her scent was driving her crazy and she couldn't help the small smile that stayed on her lips throughout the afternoon.

* * *

4:00pm was quickly approaching and Emma was really trying to not be her predictable self and would have been running right on schedule had it not been for one last thing she had to do. About a half an hour ago, she received a phone call from Gold, requesting her presence at his shop.

"Is this an emergency or can I send David?" Emma asked while sitting at her desk at the station.

"I believe this is a matter only you can handle. I'll be expecting you soon." Gold said and she heard the line go dead immediately after.

Emma had a sinking feeling in her stomach as she approached his shop. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she entered the small building.

"Gold?" Emma called out when she realized he wasn't in the front. After a moment, she heard his cane and saw him a moment after.

"Hello, dearie. Thank you for coming by." He walked behind the counter to stand before her.

"What can I do for you, Gold?" Emma asked, ready to get it over with.

"I believe we made a deal. I'd like to cash in on it, please." A smug look crept onto his face as he clasped one hand over the other onto the head of the cane.

Emma swallowed, her suspicions that this was why she was being summoned here correct. "Okay. What do you need?" She shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.

"I need you to go pick someone up for me. He is out of state, but I understand that finding people has always been your strong suit." He smiled slyly.

"Okay, so I take it he doesn't know I'm coming for him?" Emma asked, annoyance evident in her tone.

"That is correct."

"Will be come with me willingly? I'm not really about taking people at force..." Emma felt more uncomfortable as each moment passed.

"It is your responsibility in getting him here. How you go about doing that doesn't really matter to me. Just get it done." Gold was growing impatient.

"Okay... Do you have an address?"

Gold pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and slid it to Emma over the glass countertop. Emma picked it up and looked at it and her eyes grew wide.

"New York? This will take days, two alone in travel, Gold," Emma's voice held protest but she could see in his eyes that he wasn't budging.

"Take the rest of the night to get some rest. Plan arrangements for your boy and inform Daddy that he is to take care of things at the station. I expect you to head out first thing," Gold spoke with finality.

Emma mulled over it for only a couple of seconds before she nodded and turned around and walked out of the pawnshop. The task she had didn't sit well within her. She didn't want to leave Henry and Regina- 'Crap.' Emma thought and looked at her watch. She only had a few minutes to get there on time and ran to her car.

* * *

A knock on the door signaled Emma's arrival and Regina, out of habit, looked at her watch and chuckled lightly. Still three minutes late. It's funny, she thought, how much that would have annoyed her just a little while ago, but now her tardiness was endearing. Regina moved to the front door and with a bright smile she opened it, revealing the blonde.

"Emma." Regina moved to the side to let her in.

Emma smiled back and walked in with her hands in her pockets. She took her beanie off and ran a chilled hand through unruly blonde locks. She took in Regina's attire and her smile grew wider. "Definitely dressing up for the occasion, I see."

Regina's smile faltered as she looked down at what she was wearing and then back up into mirthful, green eyes. "What's wrong with what I am wearing?" Regina was growing self-conscious, something she wasn't used to.

Emma took a step closer to her and grabbed ahold of one of Regina's hands. "I think the snowshoes are a bit much." Emma lightly chuckled.

Regina's face grew serious and she took her hand back and placed it on her hip, her head held high. "They're practical," she reasoned.

Emma's laughter only grew. "Yeah, if you're going snowshoeing on trails or for long distances, maybe. But, seriously, we're just going into the backyard..."

With a huff, Regina turned around and started to take them off. Emma made her way into the house, unsure of what to do while she waited so she just fiddled her fingers and rocked back and forth on her heels. When Regina stood back up, she stopped the nervous habit and smiled.

"Better?" Regina asked, sarcastically seeking approval.

"Much! Now, let's go! I'm starving!" Emma rubbed her hands together.

Regina rolled her eyes. "What is it with you and Henry with food? You're always hungry." Regina sighed and started moving towards the kitchen when she felt arms wrap around her waist and pull her close. She smiled warmly and happily melted into the blondes embrace.

"I missed you," Emma said quietly into her ear, breathing in the apple and cinnamon scent of the brunette's shampoo.

"You did, hm?" Regina's smile grew wider and she closed her eyes. She felt lips trailing down her neck and she hummed in contentment.

"Mhm." With a few more kisses and one nibble on Regina's earlobe, she turned the brunette in her arms and smiled down at her. Regina's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were dark, but she smiled warmly back up at her love.

"I missed you, too. And this is long overdue." Standing on her tiptoes slightly, she met the blonde's lips in a sweet kiss before stepping back and taking her hands. "Come on; we just have to get the basket from the refrigerator and we'll be all set."

"What are we having?" Emma asked, her stomach rumbling as Regina lead her through the house.

"You'll see." Regina smiled over her shoulder at the blonde.

After gathering all of the items they needed, they made their way outside. Emma laid a thick, wool blanket down on the snow beneath the apple tree and they made themselves comfortable. Regina handed Emma a thermos and started rummaging through the basket.

"Hot chocolate? You think of everything." Emma smiled sweetly at Regina and leaned over to peck her on the cheek.

"You forget how alike you and our son are." Regina smiled.

They dug into the food and chatted about their days for about fifteen minutes, enjoying the relaxed feel of their meal together. Neither of them even felt the cold. All was going well until Regina teased her on still showing up late and Emma's smile faltered.

"I-I was going to be on time, Regina but-" Emma stammered clumsily.

"I was just kidding, Emma." Regina took her hand. When Emma still wore a frown, Regina knew something was up. Hey, what's wrong?" Regina scooted over a little to face her directly.

Emma looked up into Regina's eyes and sighed. "Well, you know when I found you, how I said I had help from Gold?" Regina nodded. "Obviously, he's selfish and only helped because he wanted something in return. I made a deal with him and right before I was going to leave to come here, he called me to talk about cashing in on it..."

"You made a deal with that imp?" Regina asked, an upset tone lacing her voice.

"Regina, I didn't know how else to find you. He was my only chance. You can understand that, surely." Emma searched Regina's eyes and saw reasoning in them. When Regina nodded slightly, Emma contributed. "So, long story short, I leave first thing in the morning for New York. He wants me to bring someone here to Storybrooke."

"When were you going to tell me this? Or were you just going to go without telling me?" Regina was growing angry, but to be honest, she didn't know why.

"I was gonna tell you today, but I didn't want to ruin our date... Listen, I wouldn't leave without telling you, Regina." Emma laced their fingers together. "We're in this together, remember?"

Regina sighed and looked down at their hands and nodded. When she looked back up, Emma's eyes searched hers. "How long will you be gone?"

"Hopefully no more than a few days." Emma sighed. "But to be honest, I really don't know. All I have is an address to go by. No name, no picture, literally just an address. And if he's not home, I'll have to do a stake out and wait."

Regina's stomach sank. "It's not like you have a choice in the matter..." Emma could hear the disappointment in her voice. "What could Gold want with an outsider?"

"I don't know... I guess when I get back we'll have to keep tabs on them." Emma said and took a sip of her hot chocolate.

Regina watched Emma's movements and couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips when Emma pulled the thermos away from her lips, revealing a whipped cream mustache.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Emma went to wipe her mouth when Regina stilled her movements and leaned forward. Emma, caught off guard, stumbled backward onto her hands and Regina landed lightly on top of her.

"Let me get it." Regina said quietly, leaning in closer and kissed her softly. She trailed her tongue slightly above the blonde's top lip and collected the whipped cream from it. She pulled back a couple inches and Emma sat there dumbstruck.

"So, you like whipped cream?" Emma joked, earning an eye roll from Regina. Within seconds she was being pushed down completely and Regina captured their lips in a heated kiss.

* * *

I have so much planned for this fic! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Everything was typed out on my phone, so I am very sorry if there are mistakes! All mistakes are my own! Please leave a review and tell me your thoughts! Xoxo.


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